A Chance Happening Double Being Human Love Story
by Twilightlover20071
Summary: A role play turned story with a friend of mine. NO YAOI! NO LEMONS! Just fun with our characters and the Being Human men. Adrienne(Ady)XMitchell and Alycia(Aly)XHal The ups and downs of relationships and love. Just a supernatural love 3 *Just a note, Chapter 7 for Ady is after the 20th Chapter* PLEASE REVIEW! It inspires me to update!
1. Chapter 1 Ady

George was a surprisingly easy man to find. Actually, it hadn't taken very long at all. Literally an hour and a half with her laptop and she had practically everything on him - granted, she didn't know what he'd been doing recently, but she knew here he lived and worked.

Now, Adrienne wasn't a stalker, really. George Sands Jr. was a dear friend of hers through the latter half of her teenage years and part of her young adulthood. They hadn't spoken in a little more than three years, and because she'd just moved into town and had little else keeping her busy, she'd decided to track down her old mate.

The things that she would do to keep from boredom were astounding sometimes.

Raising her small hand, the redhead knocked on the door and rocked back on her heels while she waited for an answer. Thankfully, it was George that answered the door. Even as he opened his mouth to speak, Adrienne narrowed her eyes up at him. "Oh, God, tell me that you didn't get taller."

He had, hadn't he? He was slouching, which meant that he was taller.

Well, that wasn't fair at all.

George had been relaxing on his day off from work with Mitchell and Annie. Annie of course was making 100 cups of tea as usual. "Annie, no one drinks these. We don't have any cups to use when you do this." He told her as he carried 5 cups full of tea to the sink to dump them out. "Oh give her a break George you know it's hard for her sometimes." Mitchell spoke up defending Annie who just gave him a smile. When they heard a knock at the door, George looked to the two room mates he had. Annie couldn't really be expecting any company, and Mitchell just looked at him like he wasn't expecting anyone either.

George made his way over to the door and opened it before his jaw dropped a bit seeing who it was. "A…Ady? Is that really you?" He asked surprised before she spoke of him not getting taller. He blinked before he straightened himself up a bit. "W-what are you doing here?" He asked surprised. "George, don't be a rude host, invite her in!" Mitchell called to his friend with a bit of a grin from the couch. George glared at him a bit but turned to Adrienne. "Come on in, uh this is my room mate Mitchell, Mitchell, this is Adrienne, she's a friend from back home." He explained rubbing the back of his head lightly. Mitchell gave her a smile as he stood up and moved over to where she was. "It's wonderful to meet you, George doesn't talk much about his life back home."

For her sake, Adrienne hoped that George did not get another growth spurt. The chances of him getting one were astronomical, but that didn't mean that she wasn't cursing the tiniest of chances. She probably looked like a midget next to him already.  
She stepped in when George invited her, though it probably wasn't by choice. She knew how he got when he was shocked. "That's not surprising. They were the most embarrassing years of his life." The redhead replied easily to Mitchell, giving a shrug. George looked like he was starting to deny it, but that denial did not last long on his face. It was replaced with the the same befuddled look he'd had earlier, and she decided that she'd better answer his question before his brain hardwired and he fainted or something. "I got bored and decided to stalk you, that's what. But I guess it wasn't really stalking. Took half an hour of Googling you to figure out where you lived. Honestly, you're pitifully easy to find - you're not going to faint or anything, right? That used to be almost a medical condition." Especially when he'd gone through highschool. It had definitely been amusing, at least on her part.

George let Adrienne into the home before he rubbed the back of his head a bit letting Mitchell talk to her…but at the same time he regretted that decision. He almost started to deny that the teen/young adult years had been the most embarrassing of his life…but that wouldn't do him much good; so he decided to see if she would answer his question. "Oh so now you've taken up stalking old friends huh?" He chuckled a bit shaking his head before he looked to her as he took a seat. Mitchell listened to what Adrienne said about George's fainting being a medical condition. He couldn't help but start laughing. "Really? I never would've guessed George had issues with that." He grinned chuckling a bit. "What more can you tell me about his 'embarrassing' years eh?"

George of course turned about 5 shades of red. "No no no, there will be no embarrassing stories about my teenagehood." He explained as Mitchell just chuckled. "Come on George, it's not often you get a pretty friend like this coming to find ya, be happy." His friend just glared at him but Mitchell brushed it off. "He's like this at work too, no stories about anything, it's kind of fun to tease him really." He really did care for his friend, and something about this girl was drawing his attention, more than the fact that she was a human and had blood running through her veins. He focused on something else as he listened to her and George chatting a bit back and forth.

Adrienne, admittedly, had missed George. Not so much that it was difficult to function or anything, but just enough that it was nice to talk to him again. Even if he had just let her in to be polite. "No stories at all? But he's got plenty funny ones to tell. Like the time he fell off the roof, or when he accidentally locked himself in his own locker. Or when -"

"Alright, that'll be enough." George interrupted, his voice an octave higher in his embarrassment. Adrienne didn't bother trying to hide her amusement, it was plain as day on her face.

"Spoilsport." The redhead easily accused. It didn't take long for her and George to start chatting, catching up. Of course he distinctly avoided certain subjects, and while she did in fact notice, she pretended not to. Usually (about 97 percent of the time, if one was to be exact), Adrienne was a very nosy girl and would have dug answers out of him with a plastic spoon if she had to. But she hadn't seen the guy in three years, so she figured that it was fair not to dump a boatload of questions on him. Especially when she still didn't know if he had that fainting problem.

Mitchell chuckled when Adrienne talked about how George had fallen off the roof and locked himself in his own locker. He couldn't help but start laughing as he covered his mouth trying to keep control of himself. Oh this was good information! He grinned seeing Annie standing near the door as she was giggling as well. "Poor George." Mitchell was honestly glad that all his childhood memories were long gone, no one that far in his past was still alive. He smiled hearing George speak up, his voice an octave higher. "You sure you're ok George? You sound like you got kicked to make your voice go higher."

"So Adrienne, how long are you going to be in town?" He asked curiously. If she didn't have anywhere to go, they could always let her stay there. They had an extra room that she could use. "If you're staying for awhile you could always stay here. I'm sure George wouldn't mind being able to catch up with you more, and we wouldn't have to worry about it getting too late for you to get to a hotel. There's none really near here and it's really dangerous to walk about at night." Mitchell spoke as George gave him a look that he completely ignored. He liked this girl, something about her was just drawing his attention and he knew that he could very well be playing with fire.

Adrienne shook her head. "Actually, I moved in a couple streets over. I don't start work for a week or so, and that really left nothing to do but, you know, stalk George." It had actually been a pleasant coincidence that he was so close, because it would have been troublesome to go too much farther to find him. The proximity had been exactly why it was not at all hard to 'track him down'. Hell, she probably would have seen him out on the street eventually.  
It was probably a good thing that hadn't happened, because she would have likely tackled him and demanded to chat even if he had somewhere else to go. This was most definitely more convenient.  
Yeah, she probably came off a bit weird. But that had hardly bothered her before, and it didn't bother her now. She'd seen the look that George shot Mitchell, and she wondered just how often they invited strangers into their house. She got the feeling that it happened quite often indeed.  
Admittedly the statement 'it's dangerous to walk around at night' sparked her curiosity a little.

Mitchell nodded hearing that she'd moved in a couple of streets over. This would give George a chance to spend some time with someone other than himself and Annie…He smiled before he looked to his friend. "Well, if it gets too late tonight before you go home George and I will walk you home, won't we George?" His friend blinked snapping out of a trance for a moment. "We will?" Mitchell raised his eyebrow at him before George quickly agreed. "Of course we will, wouldn't want you getting hurt if we could help it." He gave her a smile. "Would you um… would you like some tea? I can go ahead and start some tea." What was with him? Mitchell had to wonder if maybe there were hidden feelings for her deep in there somewhere.

"Hey Adrienne, did you and George ever…you know date?" He asked curiously knowing George would be changing colors right about now, but Mitchell was curious. "He's acting awful nervous around ya." He grinned chuckling as he teased his friend who came out of the kitchen moments later. "We went to our senior prom together. That was it." He sighed trying to keep his blush under control but it wasn't really working. Mitchell chuckled shaking his head. "I haven't seen him blush this much since an old lady at the hospital mistook him for her husband." He couldn't help but laugh. "She had memory problems and though they were back in 1958 and dating all over again." He couldn't help but laugh as George tried to figure out how to explain it. "Poor George was stuck with her stalking him all around the hospital." Mitchell continued.

Adrienne shook her head when Mitchell asked if she and George had ever dated. They'd gone to senior prom together, yeah, but aside from that near fiasco, they'd just been friends. "There's several theories behind the anxiety. He could just be acting nervous for the sake of acting nervous. There was one time when he didn't talk to me for a couple weeks and I kneed him in the groin because it got so annoying, so he could be fearing bodily harm of some sort. Or he could be worried about all of the ridiculously embarrassing stories that could be told." If she'd wanted to spend time thinking about the variables, she could have calculated the chances of each one.  
George, of course, was turning darker shades of red by the second.

There was also a chance that he was worried about her being nosy, but that would imply that he had something to hide, and this was George they were talking about.

Adrienne felt a grin tug at her face when Mitchell told her about the old woman stalking George around the hospital. "Please tell me you're not just making that up, because it's perfect."

Mitchell grinned seeing George get all flustered about him talking about what happened at the hospital. "I couldn't make this up even if I wanted to, it was priceless, no one in the hospital staff would help him, if anything we egged her on even more!" He started laughing as George sat down and pretty much gave up, knowing they'd find ways to talk about his embarrassing life one way or another. Mitchell smiled. "Oh you know we just tease you because we're friends George." He chuckled a bit. "Yeah yeah. Friends." Mitchell just rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember your teen years? I'm sure your parents have worse stories." He spoke before he smiled at Adrienne.

"That story, isn't the only one that's happened either. We had one woman come in and she swore it was 2108 and that she had been sent back to warn us of a war or something and no one would listen to her. George and I made the mistake of trying to help her find who she was looking for, we ended up spending six hours, trying to explain to her that the person she was looking for didn't exist and where she was was a hospital." He chuckled a bit shaking his head. "If George hadn't been there I think I would've gone insane." He spoke honestly.

"Maybe she'd been watching Terminator." Adrienne shrugged, snickering a little at the thought of George trying to deal with a patient that should have been in the mental ward. He could hardly deal with regular people - well, if those regular people happened to be females around the same age as him - but give him a mental patient and he was completely fine. The conversation between her and Mitchell continued, seeing as though George had practically bowed out to sulk in his chair about how they were teasing him. She ended up explaining exactly how he'd locked himself in his own locker even though there was a combination lock on the door, and in addition a few more stories from his teenage years.

"He also grew into his ears, if that counts for anything." Yes, poor George in highschool had had the largest Dumbo years you'd ever seen - actually, thinking back, it was pathetically adorable. She heard a groan from George's chair and grinned over at him. "Stop sulking, you know it's true."

Mitchell laughed and nodded. "We have no idea where she came from either, she just walked in and started talking to us. And we just do the clean up and stocking mostly." He explained with another chuckle. He was glad that he was able to continue chatting with Adrienne. She seemed very nice and he was glad to see that George did have a normal childhood. He couldn't help but laugh when George groaned. "Oh come on I'm sure you have some embarrassing stories about her, but you won't share them, you've got to big a heart to." He grinned before he looked to her after looking at his watch. "Why don't you stay tonight? It's awful late and we'd hate to make you walk out in the cold, wouldn't we George?"

George looked at him and gave him a small shake of the head. This wasn't a good idea in his mind, not with Annie there, but Mitchell honestly wanted her to stay so they could chat without worrying about time. "We could get you some blankets or I'll even throw some things around in my room and you can take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch." He offered. He knew George wouldn't want them sharing a room, that would be somewhat awkward and too tempting to him. He knew George was protective of his friends. Mitchell was going to do his best to keep control around this girl.

Adrienne had hardly noticed the time until it was pointed out. She didn't really want to be a trouble to them (though, admittedly, Adrienne was rarely shy about being a bother), and it wouldn't be all that difficult to walk home. It wasn't raining or anything, and it wasn't too terribly far. But, still, it would be nice to continue the conversation for a bit longer, even if they were just picking on George. She ran through a quick list of things in her head - she'd fed the dog and cat before she left, so they were fine. She hadn't left the television or the stove on, and she didn't need to be back home for anything.

She agreed to stay, but she'd just take the couch. She didn't particularly want to kick anyone out of their rooms, and she wasn't particularly picky about where she slept. It was either a talent or a bad habit, but she could fall asleep pretty much anywhere when she needed to. Buses, trains, couches, floors. The latter two were usually because she occasionally stayed over at her brother's place.

Though, admittedly, the look that George had sent Mitchell when he thought she didn't notice did make her a little hesitant. George, though she hadn't spoken with him in about three years, was still someone that she considered a friend and didn't want to bother too much.

When she agreed Mitchell couldn't help but smile. "Great, I'll go ahead and go get you some blankets and a pillow, you can make yourself at home." He nodded before he got up and headed upstairs. George looked to her before he ran his hand through his hair lightly. He wanted her to stay sure! He'd missed her and wanted to see her after so long…but at the same time he was different than the last time she'd seen him. "You sure you're ok sleeping down here?" He knew it was driving him and probably Mitchell crazy not being able to talk to Annie without looking mental. Little did they know the next morning that would be exactly what they would look like. "I mean this couch can be a bit uncomfortable…but then again from what I remember you slept just about anywhere and could pass out." He chuckled.

Mitchell smiled hearing them downstairs as he made his way around and collected some blankets and pillows. Annie popped up behind him with a smile, nearly making him jump out of his skin. "God Annie! You trying to give me a heart attack?" He asked as he collected what he needed. The ghost girl just giggled. "It's going to be so cool having another girl in the house! I mean, she can't see me so that kind of sucks, but you know…at least I get to hear stories about George." She smiled as Mitchell nodded. "Don't worry Annie, if we could find a way to include you where she wouldn't think we were mental, we would. He headed back downstairs with the supplies before handing them to Adrienne. "Here you go."

Adrienne grinned a little when George brought up the fact that she slept just about anywhere she could pass out. That was indeed true, and she distinctly remembered falling asleep on his floor a couple times, when it got too obnoxiously late after a movie marathon or something for her to go home. She remembered him stepping on her quite a lot when she passed out on his floor, too.

She still didn't know whether George wanted her to leave or not, but as long as he didn't bring it up, she wasn't going to. She wasn't that nice a person, and, though it was perhaps a bit selfish, she'd missed him and wanted to spend some time around her old friend.

"Thanks," she said to Mitchell with a smile when he handed her a couple blankets and a pillow. His friendship with George struck her as sweep and perhaps someone unlikely (and she had no idea how right she was about the latter). They were quite different indeed, and she was a little curious to see how that worked out.

Yes. That meant probably studying them like psychology test subjects, but oh, well. She'd done it to her teachers in primary school, kids in college, she had no problem studying George and his friend.

George chuckled. "Remember in Mr. Snell's class. You fell asleep on your desk, so he pulled it away and you just went to the floor still sleeping?" He asked as he remembered how she'd slept through practically anything. "He kept trying to wake you up but nothing worked." He couldn't help but laugh. "That was the funniest time in class." He grinned at his friend as Mitchell came downstairs with the supplies for her to be able to sleep. "The uh, the bathrooms upstairs and to the right, you can help yourself to what we've got in the kitchen…though honestly we don't have all that much, um….and our rooms are upstairs, the doors locked so if someone knocks just come get one of us but don't answer it." He spoke seriously. Mitchell gave him a look before quickly explaining why. "There are some people around here that are a little…mental, so we know how to take care of it if someone like that comes to the door, we wouldn't want you hurt."

He really hoped she bought that excuse. He was thinking maybe asking her to breakfast in the morning. George tended to sleep in and they were both off the next day so he could easily take her to a café nearby or something; but he would wait until George was asleep to ask her, he didn't want to ask her right in front of him. He knew how George could get about their…condition. But that didn't mean they couldn't go out and have some fun here and there. And even though her blood was tempting, Mitchell felt he had a good control on his thirst. And he'd be in a public place with her, so she'd be safe too.

"Yet I was never able to sleep through you stepping on me. Which happened eleven times, by the way." Of course she'd gotten him back all eleven times, usually by rolling over and hitting him until he fell down. Yes, they'd had quite the abusive friendship. Well, slightly abusive on her part and accidentally abusive on his. She also remembered smacking him over the head more often than not when he failed in a lie or said something ridiculously stupid.

She raised her brows when it was mentioned that there were people around the neighborhood that were slightly mental. Well, that promised too be interesting. She didn't quite know whether to entirely believe Mitchell and George - Mitchell because she didn't know him, and George because when he was talking to her his voice went just the slightest bit higher. But she didn't call them on it, taking it in stride. It was more than likely that they were speaking the truth.

Within an hour and a half, she was curled up on the couch and dead asleep.

George chuckled looking to her when she spoke of him stepping on her. "I couldn't help it! You moved around way too much!" He chuckled a bit as he shook his head a bit. Finally everything seemed to settle down and he wished her a good night; but not before giving her a tight hug and heading upstairs. Mitchell gave her a smile and a wave. "Good to meet you Adrienne." He chuckled before he headed upstairs to sleep. Yeah he slept. He slept fairly lightly but he could still sleep. He lay on the bed in his room and looked up at the ceiling before he smiled thinking about the girl downstairs. Annie popped her head in and smiled. "Hey, sooo." She smiled knowing Mitchell liked the girl already. "So?" "When are you gonna ask her out?" Annie giggled as Mitchell quickly sat up and looked at her. "What? What do you mean ask her out?" Annie giggled.


	2. Chapter 1 Aly

"There are moving trucks everywhere." Hal said to no one, voice grim as an empty coffin. "Their incessant noise is going to be the death of me."

The vampire was sitting on the couch, attempting to listen to his daily amount of classical music. But, he thought bitterly, even that could not go without interruption of some sort - even if it wasn't because of Tom or Annie. It wasn't even the baby crying, this time. It seemed the entire world was against his routine, and he did not enjoy it.

Especially because his clothes were currently in the wash and he was still sitting there in the grubby things he'd worked in, slaving over a tub of hot grease and reorganizing the condiments cupboard.

Tom, who had walked into the room and looked out the window, gave a simple shrug. Leave it to the werewolf to be unaffected by such noise. " 's just one truck, really. Don't see why you're makin' such a big deal out of it."

Hal opened his mouth to give an indignant reply, but Annie hurried downstairs into the sitting room, handing the swaddle of blankets that was Baby Eve to Tom. The look on her face was bright, and Hal predicted nothing but trouble. Before he knew it the ghost had snatched the remote off of the arm of the sofa and turned off the stereo, cutting off the classic music with the simple push of a button.

There was a metaphor in there somewhere, but Hal wasn't inclined to go looking for it.

"Alright, this is going to sound weird - but we're going to be proper neighbors and go say 'hello'. Well, you two are. I would, but, you know, ghost. Can't be seen." Annie's tone was bright, as if everything was settled.

"You're entirely right." Hal replied, a thin, mocking smile stretching over his lips. "It does sound weird. More than that, it sounds delusional. Let's just go say hello to the new neighbor that could be anything."

The look Annie gave him could have probably pushed the moving truck off of the street, if only she'd directed her gaze through the blinds on the window. "Well, that's just the point, Hal - you and Tom need to go see whether or not the new neighbor happens to be a threat. I mean, they are right next door."

Hal put up a valiant fight indeed, but when the baby started to cry and Annie offered babysitting as an alternative for him, the vampire was up off the couch and grabbing his coat in mere seconds.

Alycia was working on unpacking her boxes from the moving van to the new place she would call home. She had decided to move when he neighbors decided to throw random parties at 3 in the morning and smoke to where SHE could smell it; which was pretty bad because the walls were rather thick. She had tried to solve the problems but nothing worked, so moving was decided. She had her hair pulled back up into a messy bun and was wearing a cute red and blue plaid long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She also had on her jeans that she used when she painted with the kids, so there were little handprints here and there on her pants along with random paint splatters.

She smiled, this was going to be a good thing for her, she was in the middle of filling out paperwork to adopt a little 2 ½ year old girl she wanted to take in, and this seemed like a safe neighborhood. She placed a box down upstairs before she heard a knock at the door. She blinked and made her way downstairs and to the front door, which was still mostly open due to her moving in and out of the house and it was hard to keep opening and shutting the door when she moved in and out of the place. She opened the door more and saw two young men standing there. "Oh hello." She gave them a smile guessing they had to be the neighbors.

Hal's hands clenched in his pockets when a female opened the door. It didn't take but half a moment for the duo outside the door to realize that she was not a werewolf, a vampire, or even a ghost. Hal feigned a smile and noticed that Tom's hands were no longer held behind his back where he'd shoved a stake in the back of his trousers, just in case it was a rowdy vampire that they were dealing with.  
"Yes, hello." The vampire said voice a little dull. He didn't like this. He didn't like this any more than he liked going into work and dealing with the scent of humans. He was slowly getting used to that life, but there was still an indignant bit in the back of his mind shouting that none of this was on his list.  
"'S nice to meet you." Tom offered. "We just saw you movin' in, thought we'd be proper neighbors and come over to introduce ourselves." He was practically repeating Annie's statement word for word, and in a moment of annoyance Hal wanted to roll his eyes.  
"I'm Hal," the vampire cut in. "And this is Tom. We're living in -" well, he couldn't very well say 'the house next to you', seeing as though the building was hardly a house. He didn't want to say 'the rundown, slovenly, abandoned bed-and-breakfast that still has that heinous sign up', because that would only serve to make him think about the sign and how it was dirty and how it was something for him to focus on. Sometimes, the things he did to keep himself normal were almost as annoying as the bloodlust.  
"We're livin' next door." Tom finished politely.  
Hal finally let his gaze trail to the female that opened the door, and wished he hadn't. She really was pretty, and obviously polite otherwise she would have closed the door in their faces at that point. "If we are at all bothersome, it would be no trouble for us to leave." He informed her, his tone a strange mix of offering and suggesting.

"Oh, well it's wonderful to meet you both, I'm Alycia, my friends call me Aly." She smiled a bit as they introduced themselves. She had to admit…Hal was awful cute! Ok he was just drop dead sexy but she had better composure than that. She listened to them explain that they lived next door. When Hal had spoken she couldn't help but give him a smile. "Oh no! It's no trouble at all. You guys are already better than my previous neighbors. They'd have loud parties and play music and smoke at 3 in the morning. Kept me up almost every night, working in a pre-school I kind of need the energy." She couldn't help but giggle a bit. She was really looking forward to getting a chance to get to know them. "Do, would you guys like to come in for a cup of tea?"

She had time before she had to get the truck back and she had almost everything unloaded anyway. The only thing she had left was the dresser that she had…which her older brother Eric would have to help her move once he came there. She knew she wouldn't be able to lift it on her own…and she didn't even want to try, she'd be on her way to the hospital if she did. She smiled when Tom agreed to tea and practically had to drag Hal in. She had to guess that Hal wasn't really used to being around people all too much. "How long have you guys lived here?" She asked curiously. She hoped it was a good neighborhood, a bit run down but it was better than some fancy neighborhoods.

Of course the dog would agree to tea, thought Hal as he was nearly pulled inside. They couldn't just politely excuse themselves and hurry back to the sanctuary that was that awfully distressing bed and breakfast, where there was silverware in dire need of polishing and dominoes to be stacked up and taken down. At that moment, had Hal been home, he would have been going up to his room, closing the door, and doing pushups. Then he would have been using that equally run-down exercise bike, and then he would have spent exactly twenty minutes reading the novel that he had yet to finish.

But instead, he was there. With a human that had blood pumping through her veins.

"Well, I've lived here a little longer than he has. A few months, I guess. Hal came maybe a month ago. He lives with me an' -" Tom barely caught himself before he said 'Annie'. Even the wolf knew that was a bad idea, Hal reasoned, because it was entirely possible for Alycia to pop by and say hello only to realize they'd lied to her about who lived in the house. " - an' a friend."

It was almost pitiful, how Tom was incapable of spinning a believable lie.

"Where did you move from, if you don't mind my blunt questions?" Hal asked, deciding to smooth over the almost-lie with a change of subject. "Not many people choose willingly to move into this neighborhood." Though he would have, too, if the alternative was a bunch of barbaric neighbors partying until three in the morning.

Alycia smiled and let them inside as she lead them into the kitchen and put on the kettle, finding the box that said "Cups" And opening it before she pulled out three cups for the tea. She heard their answer to her question about how long they'd lived there. "SO not too horribly long, is it pretty good here? I mean most people think neighborhoods like this have druggies or something but most the time they're really nice to live in, just need a bit of TLC is all." She had already told the person she bought the place from that she'd be willing to fix it up, she would want it to look good for when Emma moved in with her. She would even offer to help them fix up their paint if they wanted her to.

Having grown up with two very…'fix it up' men in her family, she had learned young how to fix up things herself as well. She heard Hal's question moments later before she shrugged. "Honestly, it was either here or stay at my old home…if I'd stayed there another day I think I would've probably torn out their stereo and thrown it out the window. I can't stand being around people like that, and with Emma…hopefully moving in with me I've got to make sure she'd be safe playing outside." She realized they probably had no idea who she was talking about. "Emma is a little girl I'm in the process of adopting."

Hal hadn't been going to ask who Emma was. Frankly, he didn't care. As long as it wasn't a vampire or a werewolf or something that could cause them harm, it seemed perfectly rational that he stay out of that little situation - but, of course, the girl decided to be polite and tell he and Tom. And, also something that Hal deemed 'of course', Tom brightened just a little at the mention of a child. The werewolf was practically a child himself, thought Hal.  
"Emma's a pretty name." The werewolf said. "Would ya' like help makin' tea?" Annie always made tea for the people in their house, even herself, though she couldn't drink it. It was something that Hal found to the more than a little insane, but he rarely spoke of it unless she was doing something annoying.  
Which meant that he spoke of it a lot, because she was always doing something annoying.  
"So you plan on having a child around. It's not the safest place for children." Hal told Alycia, only realizing how ominous the words sounded after they'd left his mouth. "If you plan on expanding your family any more I would appreciate a warning. Children tend to be loud." He sounded mean, and he knew that. He probably sounded like a twat. But at least he wasn't fumbling around the kitchen and trying to be helpful like Tom was.  
"We know because we got a baby." Tom informed Alycia, smiling at her. Hal rolled his eyes. When the boy said 'we', it almost sounded like they were a couple. Hal didn't like that, either. Just another annoyance to add to the very, very long mental list that was so quickly being accumulated.

Alycia smiled when Tom seemed to brighten up when she spoke of Emma. "Emma is short for Emmalei, she's actually in the pre-school I work at, so I see her almost everyday. She's a very sweet little girl, a little shy but very curious about just about anything." She smiled talking about the little girl before Tom offered to help. "That would be great." She pointed Tom to the cabinet that held the tea. Thankfully she'd gone grocery shopping before she moved in, she wanted to make sure she had at least a few things to last her until she'd finished setting up the place. She looked to Hal when he spoke before she gave him a smile. "As long as you two aren't druggies, I'll be fine, and you don't really seem like people who would be into drugs." She spoke honestly.

She heard Tom say that they had a baby. "Awe a niece of yours or something?" She asked curiously. She adored kids, that's the main reason she started working in a pre-school in the first place. "Hey, if you're interested, before Emma moves in I was planning on giving the place a fresh coat of paint, would you be willing to help? I'll even be willing to help you paint your place if you'd like." She was hoping that maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to make friends with the neighbors and get to know them. "I've got a lot of things to prep before Emma moves in but ever since I filed the paperwork I've been really excited." She couldn't help but smile as the tea kettle whistled and she pulled the kettle off the burner and poured the tea, handing one to Tom and Hal and then picking up one for herself. "Sorry, I spaced on answering your question about where I used to live, it was behind the park just down the road aways."

"No, I am not addicted to drugs." Unfortunately, even after fifty-five years of being dry, Hal's body still had a difficult time going without the blood that he so craved, that he so desperately wanted and didn't want. "Nor is Tom, though his caffeine intake is monstrous." Monstrous. That was a fitting adjective, thought Hal.  
Tom retrieved the box of tea from the cupboard and brought it over to Alycia, setting it down for her. When she asked if it was a niece of theirs, the werewolf shook his head. "No. 'S kind of complicated."  
Every time Tom explained it like that, Hal had to wonder if the person they were talking to was going to walk away with the impression that they were kidnappers. No one seemed to get, but that didn't mean that it would never happen. He wished that Tom was just a little better at covering up the facts.  
Or a lot better.  
A lot better would be nice, too.  
"That's perfectly alright, preparing for a child can probably be quite distracting." He'd never prepared for a child himself. Instead Hal had been reluctantly thrust into the babysitting scene. "Thank you for the tea." He said, raising his cup a little before taking a sip of the hot liquid. It slid down his throat and made him think of the warmth of blood, but thankfully the herbal flavor washed that away right quickly. He didn't need to be thinking of blood, not of the way he could hear Alycia's pulse. His eyes flickered to her neck, but only for a moment before they were trained on his tea again.  
This was why he needed his routines.  
"Well, we'd be happy to help you paint." Tom told Alycia, looking over at Hal, then at her, nodding his head. Hal didn't particularly like the look on the wolf's face, it was one too close to being mischievous - if Tom could ever look mischievous. "We're neighbors, now, after all. We gotta be polite and proper. 'Sides, I like painting. What about you, Hal?"  
Hal fixed him with a glare that, had it been any more intense, would have shriveled the wolf were he sat.  
Painting was something to do as a distraction, but it would also have to be done around Alycia. Which was not a good thing.

Alycia smiled hearing Hal talk about Tom's intake of caffeine. "You want to see something really bad? The day after Halloween at a pre-school. If kids can't have candy during the time they're there, they eat it before hand…that day is one no one likes working." She shivered. "The kids are so hyped up it's not even funny." She giggled a bit. She thanked Tom when he brought her the box of tea. It was a favorite type of tea she made often, Orange Spice. It just had a good taste to it that she'd loved ever since she was a kid. "Ah, I understand." She somewhat did. She honestly didn't think they were kidnappers. She took a sip of the tea once she'd passed out the tea to the others. "You're welcome."

She was glad she was being able to chat with these two, they seemed very nice. "That'd be great. I was hoping to get some paint this weekend and get started on it. The sooner I get the outside painted the sooner I can set up Emma's room. My mom wants me to take pictures once I'm finished. She's always loved butterflies and angels, so I'm going to do my best doing a butterfly and angel themed room for her." She explained. She giggled a bit seeing Hal glare at Tom. "I'm guessing you're not one to be volunteered for stuff by your friends huh?" She could tell that once she got to know him, she was going to be very happy there. "Oh um, quick question, Since I can tell that he's a vampire, I'm guessing you're not exactly human yourself hm Tom? And no, I'm not mental." She smiled knowing she threw them for a major loop.

The woman was pretty, she was kind, she was hospitable. But Hal was in no mood for her stories, or how her mum wanted pictures when the house was painted. He just wanted to get back to the horrible bed and breakfast and lock himself in his room to complete his now very, very late routines. He also wanted to get out of the clothes he was wearing under his dark jacket and into something a little more dignified, but instead he was sitting in a stranger's house and drinking Orange Spice tea.  
Admittedly the tea was good. But that was little by way of comparing to the things that seemed to be going wrong.  
"You'll have to forgive me if I seem either rude or frank, but, no, I do not particularly appreciate it." Hal said, hardly glancing at her. If he did, he might look down at her neck and he was already thinking about blood. Or maybe it was that he'd just end up staring at her. She was, after all, a very attractive woman.  
Both Hal and Tom choked on their Orange Spice tea when Alycia mentioned oh-so-calmly Hal's condition. Tom sputtered and spilled a bit of the liquid on the table, and Hal barely managed to clink his mug hard onto the table before he spilled his drink as well. He opened his mouth to deny the fact, but, as always, the werewolf spoke and ruined it.  
"How did you know?" Tom asked, looking at Alycia with that annoying eyebrow-raise he always had when he was confused. Hal practically had the expression memorized because Tom was always confused. "Are you a vampire or somthin'? You smell human, though. So - I don't understand."  
"Normally I would not be inclined to be asking the same question as this boy, but an answer is entirely necessary." Hal's eyes flickered over to Alycia and narrowed into a glare - not one that was meant to be mean, but a look that came naturally when he was considering his options.

Alycia couldn't help but giggle at their reactions when she'd asked her question. She quickly got some paper towels and handed them to both of them. "I probably should've asked after the tea was gone, but I was curious and I wanted to ask before you ran off." She spoke honestly looking to Hal when she spoke. Looking to Tom, hearing his questions she couldn't help but giggle again. "I was exposed to the super natural at a very young age. My older brother was changed into a vampire when I was 14. He still stayed at home, but I noticed something different about him, he finally told me after almost two weeks of asking him." She explained. She was actually very amused seeing their curiosity peeked. "So, am I right?" She asked curiously knowing she probably was but she wanted to be sure.

"I know about ghosts too. My mum and I used to live in a haunted house with my brother while my dad was away overseas." He'd been a soldier at the time and was gone while she and her mother and brother had lived in a small duplex home. "Wasn't anything too scary, just some cold breezes now and again, my mum saw a little girl by her bed once and I saw something in my window. Scared me almost half to death at that age though." She shrugged her shoulders a bit knowing if she hadn't been positive that Hal was a vampire, they'd be thinking she was mental. "By the way, you are very cute for a vampire. You're the first one I've seen other than my brother."

Hal immediately went to shake his head and tell her that she was wrong, that she was absolutely wrong and that it was time for both he and Tom to go. He wanted to tell her that he had no idea what she was talking about, maybe through in some feigned concern and call her delusion. But again the werewolf had to open his tremendous, annoying, truthful mouth.

"You're right. Hal here's a vampire. 'M a werewolf." Tom said, nodding, perhaps a little too glad to find someone that was able to understand. But she didn't understand, did she? She was a human herself, she couldn't possibly know what Tom went through once a month, or what Hal went through every day of his long, long life. Or second life, if you wanted to be technical, because to become a vampire you had to die.

Hal's teeth gritted together when the woman called him 'cute'. Vampires were by no means 'cute'. They were nothing of the sort. They were terrifying, ruthless killers. He was a murderer, and while Hal may have accepted 'handsome', he was not going to deal with anything softer than that. "I would request that you take that back this instant." He stated, lips thinned in an annoyed line.

His pride as a male was a little muffed, if he were to be honest.

"Sorry 'bout him. He doesn't like bein' found out. And doesn't know how to take a compliment, neither." Tom said, as if he was used to apologizing for Hal.

Personally, Hal thought that it should be the other way around. Tom was the embarrassing one, not he.

"I knew there was something different about you two when I first saw you." She smiled moving some of her hair behind her ear that'd fallen from her ponytail. "I can somewhat understand, with my older brother struggling with not hurting anyone, I saw him at his best and worst stages. It's not very fun seeing someone you love suffering like that. But he's been doing really well, I think he's even got a girlfriend now, Not sure if she's like him or not. Oh and he is coming over later just so you know, he's going to help me move the dresser in the truck, it's too heavy for me to do it myself." She explained before she looked to Hal when he got annoyed at her calling him cute. "Ok ok, maybe handsome was a better word." She smiled sipping the last little bit of her tea before she rinsed out the cup.

"It's ok Tom, I know some guys get upset when they're called cute, it's normal." She giggled a bit knowing Hal was probably having a hard time being around a human. "How old is the little one you're caring for? I could always watch her for you sometimes if you ever need it." She would be more than happy to watch the child for them, hopefully that would also help build the relationship, friendship, whatever was going to be there. "And neither of you have to worry, I'm very good at keeping things under wraps. My family, as far as I know, still doesn't know about my older brother being a vampire, so that's saying something." Especially since it'd been 10 years since he was changed.

"She's just a baby." Hal snapped, near determined to get an answer in before Tom this time. No, it was not a competition. It was a race to keep the werewolf from saying anything that could endanger them. "And I'm not so sure that would be a good idea. Thank you for your most generous offer, but we have someone to look after the baby." Annie hardly trusted the infant with he and Tom, it was unlikely that the ghost would willingly hand her over to a stranger even for a short amount of time.

Hal narrowed his eyes a little bit when Alycia said that she was good at keeping a secret. "While it is entirely wonderful to know that your secret-keeping skills are up to par, I would rather not have had to trust you with mine." No matter how pretty she was, or how that smile of hers made him feel just a tad odd.

Tom looked between Alycia and Hal, his big eyebrows furrowed a little. "Oh," the boy whispered to himself, as if something had dawned on him - which, of course, made Hal give him a look of confusion in return.

Oh. Oh, no. Oh, please, no. He wished for someone to tell him that the werewolf wasn't going to -

"I think I 'ear my name bein' called - Hal can stay 'ere and help with your dresser, alright? No need for it to sit out there 'till your brother gets here. Least we can do for the tea. Thanks again, and I'll be on my way, now." Tom got up and headed out the door, leaving Hal in the room with a human.

All the vampire could think was that this was not on his list.


	3. Chapter 2 Ady

George chuckled looking to her when she spoke of him stepping on her. "I couldn't help it! You moved around way too much!" He chuckled a bit as he shook his head a bit. Finally everything seemed to settle down and he wished her a good night; but not before giving her a tight hug and heading upstairs. Mitchell gave her a smile and a wave. "Good to meet you Adrienne." He chuckled before he headed upstairs to sleep. Yeah he slept. He slept fairly lightly but he could still sleep. He lay on the bed in his room and looked up at the ceiling before he smiled thinking about the girl downstairs. Annie popped her head in and smiled. "Hey, sooo." She smiled knowing Mitchell liked the girl already. "So?" "When are you gonna ask her out?" Annie giggled as Mitchell quickly sat up and looked at her. "What? What do you mean ask her out?" Annie giggled.

The next morning came around and Mitchell made his way downstairs. He looked to Annie who was making tea again. "Again Annie? God you make so many cups of tea it's a surprise we haven't run out of tea already." He spoke before he shook his head and rubbed his hair a bit. He hadn't realized that someone was awake and he'd just spoken to the ghost that she probably couldn't see. He blinked looking to her before he chuckled a bit. "Sorry, still kind of out of it, thought I saw a friend of ours who comes to visit often, she makes tea all of the time." He explained hoping she didn't think he was insane by talking to a random spot in the room. "Good morning um…I wanted to see if you wanted to go out for breakfast or something. George tends to sleep in real late, so I figured I could treat you to some food."

Adrienne wasn't entirely certain that George kept sane friends - he'd stuck with her for a few years, after all - but even she was a little surprised to see Mitchell talking to an empty space. There was no one there, and it reminded her of her niece with an imaginary friend (admittedly, Mitchel was by no means a young girl). When he saw her and tried to explain, she raised her brows. He didn't look all that out of it to her. Infact, he looked quite awake indeed.

"Sure you're not on some new medication? Or perhaps you recently injured your head?" Adrienne asked, leaving out the 'or maybe you just need therapy' that was going through her head. Ironically, she was much better at holding her tongue after she'd just woken up, because it took too much effort to put up with people's reactions to her blunt statements. "Because you look pretty awake."

Alright, being better at holding her tongue didn't mean that she was great at it.

"Ah, yeah, I guess." The redhead didn't see a reason why not. Mitchell seemed pretty nice, and definitely interesting. Like a puzzle, she thought - and she'd always liked puzzles.

Mitchell had a feeling that she wasn't buying his excuse. He knew she probably thought he was mental now, but he could at least offer her a chance to go out to breakfast. "I'm alright, I promise you I'm not mental." He chuckled before he headed upstairs to grab his coat, and one for her so she would stay warm in the cool morning air. "There's a café just down the street George and I go to fairly often, I could take you there if you'd like." He gave her a smile before he offered her his extra coat. "It can get kind of chilly out there, I wouldn't want George yelling at me because you get sick." He knew George was going to yell at him for something else, but honestly he didn't care. He liked her.

After they were ready he headed out with her towards the café. He told her a bit about himself as they walked, where he was born, which wasn't a lie, and where he'd spent most his time growing up. "I mean the town I lived in was pretty small and quiet, it was either you become a farmer or a soldier." He explained as he walked with her. He wanted to tell her about them…about what he was, but he didn't want to scare her away. Especially since the last time he'd told someone about them they had nearly gotten killed. He didn't want to take that chance again. He arrived at the café with her and opened the door so she could go in first. "And order whatever you'd like, this is my treat. George and I uh…we're not the best cooks in the house. Our friend Annie sometimes cooks for us." He explained. "George's cooking isn't all that bad actually, he's gotten better since I first met him."

Adrienne listened to Mitchell as he talked, wondering what he wasn't telling her. She didn't expect him to spill his life story to someone that he'd only just met, of course, but there was distinctly something that was shrouded in mystery. He was, indeed, a puzzle. He sparked her curiosity, and she didn't quite knew whether or not that was a good thing. She could get pretty nosy when she was curious.  
"Yeah, I really can't see you as a farmer." So that meant he'd been a soldier. He almost held himself like one, if you were to look closely.  
They walked into the cafe, and not long afterwords they were sitting at a booth with their breakfast. "So, you work at the hospital?" She asked, remembering the mention of it the previous night. She remembered that he worked there with George, but she was relatively curious. Really, she just wanted to know a little more about him in general. Oh, she wouldn't bother him to tell her everything, she wasn't that curious - not yet, anyway. Though it he proved to be more interesting, she just might become annoying with her questions. Adrienne had a tendency to do that sometimes.

Mitchell grinned as he walked with her and he chuckled. "Yeah, I couldn't see myself as a farmer either, my parents weren't too thrilled at my decision, but they supported me in the end." He spoke before he let her into the café. He walked with her to a booth as they ordered their food moments later. "Yeah. George and I started working there together, we work different shifts, sometimes at night sometimes during the day. We prefer the night shift only because it's easier to clean up around the place without the patients moving from place to place like they do in the daytime." He explained. "George he uh…he really does well with some of the patients, we're real lucky to have him on the team."

He smiled before he spoke up. "There was a woman that came in, she was the only survivor of her family, she didn't have anyone to visit her so George would go over and see her everyday when he got to work and before he left. He would just let her tell him stories about her life, she told him she reminded him a lot of her son who'd died in a war, George was glad he could be there for her while she was around." He explained. "He has a very good heart, sometimes it can get him into trouble, but most of the time he does what he does because he cares." He spoke shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I'm just curious, how did you and George lose touch?"

Adrienne didn't say it, but she was fairly glad to hear that, at least, hadn't changed about George. He was usually willing to help someone, and more often than not he seemed to are too much. Whether that was a good thing, Adrienne wasn't quite sure.  
She let a shrug roll off of her shoulders when Mitchell asked how she and George lost touch. "Well, he didn't call me back." Isn't that how most friends lost touch? There had been no mutual decision to stop talking to eachother, but there hadn't been any drifting apart, either. For a little while she'd figured that he'd just forgotten about her. "But if you want more detail than that, I have no clue. I mean, he wasn't getting along the best with his parents at the time, and I probably should've been loads more helpful with that. He kind of just dropped off the face of the earth." She spoke plainly, easily. About half of it had probably been purely coincidental, and it had recently hit her that she hadn't talked to one of her best friends in the world for years. She supposed that those sorts of things tended to spiral into never talking again.

Mitchell listened to what Adrienne said about how they'd just stopped talking. "I see, that's never easy when you lose contact with someone like that. I mean most my friends are long gone, George and Annie are really the only thing I've got left anymore. Sometimes they're the only thing keeping me sane." He was sure it was the same for George. He knew that the reason he'd left was because of the curse that'd been put on him when he'd been attacked by the werewolf. He was honestly surprised though that she'd been so easily able to find George. "That look he had when you came in was priceless. I honestly wish I'd had a camera to take a picture of it." He grinned with a soft chuckle. "I've seen some expressions on him before but that one was new."

He liked chatting with Adrienne, she seemed like a sweet girl, a bit nosy but hey, to each their own. "So, random question here but I'm curious, what are your thoughts on mythical things, you know, vampires, werewolves, ghosts?" He asked curiously. This was honestly the easiest way to see where she stood without exposing what they were. He was curious if she even believed that they existed. Some humans thought some existed, while others didn't. He grinned a bit. "George and I watch some of those old timey vampire and werewolf movies just to get a laugh at how stereotypical they are." He smiled as their food arrived. He made sure to eat politely around her. He hadn't been around a girl he liked for some time, so he didn't want to scare her away because of his eating habits.

"Really? It's not all that difficult to surprise him." Adrienne said with a little grin, though she knew that George's expression had been a hilarious one indeed.

What she had not expected was Mitchell to ask what she thought of mythical creatures. She'd never particularly thought much about the subject unless she was using it in an argument or as a joke. "Dunno. What's your opinion on 'em?" That was another trait of hers. As much as she loved iging for answers out of other people, her own were usually vague. It was a habit solely in place because she got into plenty of arguments, and she liked leaving loopholes open for herself. The redhead decided to be a little nicer this time and figure out what he actually meant. "Specify the question. Are we talking about books, movies, or actual myths?" She read a lot and watched all too many movies, so she had an opinion on each of them. It just didn't seem particularly fair to group them together, because the answers were different. THe movies got boring, she dind't mind the books, and she thought the legends and myths were stunningly interesting but a load of hogwash.

Mitchell chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty easy to surprise him but the kind of surprise you brought yesterday was a face I hadn't seen before.' He chuckled a bit before asking her about what she thought about mythical creatures. He chuckled when she turned it back on him for a moment before she spoke asking what he meant. "Well, how about books and myths since they can sometimes go hand in hand. Movies…they're just sad." He spoke honestly before he shook his head a bit. He looked to her as they continued to eat their breakfast together. He was very interested to see what she believed. She was…she was different. Most human girls he either wanted them for sex, their blood or both, but her…he wanted to actually get to know her, to know about her likes and dislikes, what she was passionate about, what she hated the most.

He hoped to learn about her hopes her dreams…God he felt really like a hopeless romantic right now. He brushed it off and listened to what she said. "For me well, I mean I grew up with stories about you know the typical vampire werewolf thing but…I mean this world is so big it's hard to know exactly what's out there. I mean we don't even know what's at the bottom of the ocean, so there very well could be different species that walk with humans. I mean they could be sitting right next to someone on the bus and they wouldn't know it." He spoke. "I don't think they're all 'monsters' though. I mean they still have their families, they have feelings and they urn for the same things many humans do. At least that's what I think." He spoke looking to Adrienne.

Mitchell's opinion on the supernatural scene made sense, in a way. It sounded like he was pretty convinced, like he'd really spent a lot of time thinking about it. That was a little odd. SHe knew people who were into that sort of thing, and acted all occult - for instance, the annoying owner of the bookshop that she'd started going to. "I suppose it's possible, but I'm still inclined to believe that it's a load of hogwash." The girl stated honestly. "Sorry, I hope you weren't expecting some interesting, well thought-out answer." She said with a shameless little smile. She didn't have an interesting, well thought-out answer. Even as a kid she'd thought that fairy tales and myths were fake, even though it hadn't been drilled into her head.  
But then again, she'd never bothered believing in Santa Claus, either. Mostly because of the fake beards.  
She liked his accent, Adrienne decided. The way he pronounced his 'r's, specifically. It made her want to smile. He really was starting to turn out to be a puzzle, and she had to tell herself not to launch into questions. Strangers, or near strangers, didn't tend to like that at all.

Mitchell listened to Adrienne's response before he chuckled a bit. "It's ok, your opinion is your opinion. Some people do get carried away with it and hurt themselves or others and that's never ok." He shook his head a bit. "So, I'm curious to ask, what kind of job do you do?" He as curious to know more about her and her past. Yeah they'd bonded over George; speak of the devil he was calling his phone right now but he ignored it in order to spend more time with Adrienne, but there was more they could bond over. "And you are open to ask me any question you would like. I can see you're full of them." He explained with a soft chuckle. He knew George was probably yelling at him via voicemail but he didn't care, this girl was too interesting to rush back home with.

"I promise to either give you an answer, or let you know that I'll answer it another time, or I just don't feel comfortable answering it." He explained. "Sound good?" He gave her a grin before he paid for their meal. He leaned in closer to her for a moment. "By the way, George is probably going to be pretty pissed at me for taking you away to breakfast without him, just so you know." He grinned with a chuckle before he moved back a bit. "How about I'm able to ask you a few questions as well and you can give me the same answers. I'll respect boundaries of course, I don't want George killing me for getting too personal too quickly." He grinned before standing up and offering her a hand up.

"Ah, I work with computers. Mostly programming and coding." It was a nerd job, she knew that. But she was good at it, and it paid well. Computers were something that she'd had a knack for from a young age because she spent so much time using them for research. And when she'd gotten out of highschool she'd been to unsure of what she wanted to go into college for, so she'd gotten a job at a bookstore and taken up a couple hobbies - one of those was computers. She could practically build one from the ground up, given the correct materials.  
Put into perspective, it was ridiculous. She could almost build a computer, but she struggled not setting ramen noodles on fire.  
She snickered when he said that George was probably going to be irritated. It was much better than leaving her to wake up George - she either would have dumped water on his face or jumped on the bed and screamed 'Earthquake!'. Both were very effective tactics.  
The duo exited the cafe and turned down the sidewalk as Adrienne mulled over what to ask him first. There were plenty of questions, and she had a tendency to fire them off like a volly of arrows. "Alright - where did you grow up? You didn't mention a name." Somewhere in Ireland, she was guessing by that accent.

Mitchell walked out with Adrienne and headed back towards the house as she told him about her work. "Oh really? That must be an interesting job. I can't Imagine doing something like that. I'd probably end up breaking the computers in half." He spoke with a chuckle. "I can hardly handle the ones that we deal with at work." He grinned as he walked with her towards the place he called home. He heard her first question before he smiled. "I grew up in Ireland, {insert place here} to be exact." He spoke as he walked down the road with her. "What was your most embarrassing moment when you were growing up?" He asked her curiously. He loved the way she smiled, and she seemed so full of questions.

Thankfully they arrived back at the house pretty quickly and Mitchell walked in with Adrienne seeing George looking to her a bit panicked. "Adrienne! You're ok!" He ran over and hugged her, giving Mitchell a look as he headed upstairs to put away his coats. "Sorry uh…Mitchell didn't leave a note and I was worried about where you were and…I don't think it's good for you to be around him." He spoke seriously before she asked why and he wracked his brain trying to think of an answer. "Because…because because because he uh…He…he doesn't wash…his…clothes…very often." He spoke trying to make it seem like a serious thing, but of course was failing miserably and Annie was in the corner giggling.

"Oh, yeah, Pigeon, you're not going to get that one yet." Adrienne said. She didn't even have to think about which moment in her teenage years had been the most embarrassing. Because when she'd been fifteen, she'd been stupid enough to get completely drunk - and then she'd kissed the principle and gotten kicked out of that particular school. All of her other embarrassing moments just did not stack up to that one. In her defense, she'd learned a lesson in how much of a lightweight she was when it came to alcohol.  
When they got back into the house and George said something about Mitchell's clothes, Adrienne became thoroughly confused. "George. George. Sweetheart, I have no idea what you're on about, but if it helps - you're probably just being crazy. Did you mix alcohol with medication or something? And even if he doesn't, I grew up with two older brothers. I think it's fine."  
That, apparently, was not the answer that George was looking for. He seemed to make this weird squeaking noise, one that she remembered came when he was worried and couldn't think of anything to say.


	4. Chapter 2 Aly

Alycia looked to Hal when he snapped explaining that she was just an infant. "I see, well if you guys ever need some help I'd be more than willing to do what I can." She nodded hearing Hal explain that they had someone watching the little one. Probably the 'friend' they had told her about a little while ago. Alycia blinked looking to Tom when he spoke and said that he thought he heard his name being called. She was just about to say something but he volunteered Hal to help with the dresser before he left out the door leaving Hal and Alycia in the kitchen. She had a feeling his name wasn't being called, he was just doing that to give them some time alone; and by Hal's reaction, she could tell he wasn't too thrilled with that.

She wasn't all too sure what to do next, but she figured she may as well try to make things at least somewhat comfortable between them. "Listen, if I said something to make you upset, I'm sorry." She spoke honestly. She wasn't exactly sure what she could've said, but she wanted to apologize anyway. She didn't like knowing someone was irritated or angry with her and she wanted to make sure that she at least attempted to make it up to him. "And you don't have to help with the dresser if you don't want to, I'm sorry Tom kind of volunteered you for that." A moment later she felt her phone going off in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out. "Sorry, just a sec." She put the phone to her ear and heard her brother. He told her he wouldn't be able to make it there to help her with the dresser. "Oh, ok, I'll figure something out. Thanks." She hung up after a moment.

Hal fiddled with the tea mug in front of him, first twisting it so that the handle faced away from him, then towards him, then away from him again. It wasn't a routine, he didn't have anything to sort or organize, but it would have to do. His eyes flickered over to Alicia and he barely managed to keep them from straying to her neck. You, see, having been dry for fifty-five years, Hal's fear of snapping was almost something that pushed him towards it. The more he thought about what would happen if he lost control, the more his eyes strayed to pulse points and the more he thought about blood. That was why he needed his routines. They kept him from thinking too much.

Keep busy, keep safe. Keep the bloodlust in check.

"I realize that I have been rude and I do apologize, but as you know of my condition you must know what I am struggling with." Hal sipped at his tea, though it was starting to get cold. "Thank you very much for the tea, but -"

That was when her phone rang, and as much as Hal despised eavesdroppers, he found himself incapable of not listening. He could barely catch the words coming from the phone, but it pieced together in his head quickly enough and he gave a sigh. He couldn't just leave her there with a dresser to move after she'd been kind to him and Tom - he did have manners, despite that it looked like.

Oh, God, what if Tom was rubbing off on him?

Hal scowled at the thought and stood from his chair, strolling determinedly into the other room, towards the door. The sooner he helped her with the dresser, the sooner he could get back to his routines. "Tell me where this dresser is and I will help you with it." He told Alycia, perhaps just a little harshly.

She did understand the struggles he was dealing with. With living with her older brother she'd helped him through some of the worst times; helped clean him up when he'd slipped and gave him encouragement to keep going when he wanted to give up. "I completely understand." She nodded softly before she answered her call hearing her brother say that he wouldn't be able to make it. She jumped a bit when Hal got up quickly and walked out of the room. She was confused as to what was going on before he told her to tell him where the dresser was and he offered to help. "It's in the moving truck, it's the only thing I've got left to move." She explained. She was surprised that he was willing to help her, but she was more than grateful for it.

She helped him get the dresser out of the truck and told him which room upstairs it needed to go in. She was glad to finally have that finished so now she just had to get the unpacking done and she'd be set to relax. "Thank you for your help Hal, it was very nice meeting you." She gave him a light smile before she did something she hoped she wouldn't regret later. She gave him a quick hug before making her way back into the kitchen to get the cups cleaned up before she forgot. She prayed she hadn't just screwed up by hugging him, she knew how some vampires could be, she could only hope he'd be ok with it. She decided to distract herself by working on unpacking a few of the cups and putting them away, knowing Hal was probably just going to head back over to his house and probably yell at Tom for leaving him there.

Hal easily got the dresser up to the room that Alycia wanted it to go in, though it took a little longer to center it in the perfect position. Never let it be said that he did not do a good job when he was tasked with something to do, Hal thought perhaps just a little bitterly as he gave a rough estimate on the wall measurements on either side of the dresser. When he was walking back out of the room he had expected a simple 'thank you' and perhaps a 'goodbye, come again' even though he would surely not 'come again' unless he was forced.  
But instead she hugged him. The stupid human wrapped her arms around him and he could hear the blood pumping through her veins. He could practically feel her pulse, and he imagined the crimson liquid just underneath her skin. That skin would be so easily punctured by his fangs, and before he knew it he had inclined his head just a little to bring himself closer to her neck.  
But he caught himself. He thought of routines and cleared his mind, and took a rough step backwards. Before he could say anything Alycia was back in the kitchen, and Hal had followed her to the doorway - though not for the blood. No, not this time. This time he kept control and didn't think too hard.  
"For future reference - if we ever see eachother from here on, I would prefer not to be hugged." Hal spat out the word 'hugged' quickly, like it was poison in his mouth. "It is not only annoying but it is dangerous for you" He left with that, swiftly turning about and leaving through the door, shoving his hands in his pockets and playing several long, long conversations in his mind. Tom was not going to like what Hal had to say to him, not at all. Especially if the 'no cursing in front of Baby Eve' rule was still in effect.

Aly had gotten some paint just a few days ago and today she had decided to get painting on the outside of the house. She was going to do it while the weather was being nice. She pulled out the ladder she'd gotten before trying to make sure it was steady. She was going to work from the top to the bottom of the building, it'd be a lot easier than if she had done it the other way. She had pulled her hair into its usual messy bun before she climbed up the ladder, placing the paint where she wanted to have it as she got out the paintbrush. After a good half hour she was almost done with the upper layer she needed to work on. She was trying to reach the last little bit on the side of the building.

She stuck her tongue out as if to help her reach the spot a little more. She stopped when she almost lost balance and took a deep breath to calm herself down before she tried again. This time she managed to get the spot she'd been reaching for, but not without consequence. She felt the ladder shake a bit as she tried to steady it but it didn't work. She didn't even get a chance to say anything before she lost her footing and fell from the ladder. She honestly expected to hit the ground and feel her body erupt in pain. She'd even closed her eyes tightly waiting for the impact, but instead of hitting the ground, she felt two arms catching her. She scrunched her face a little confused before she opened her eyes and looked up seeing Hal….just before the paint bucket fell and covered both of them with the paint she'd been using on the building

Hal had not intended to go over to Alycia's house again. He had not so much as intended to walk passed it. But Annie had heard about how the girl knew what they were, and the ghost had the miraculously stupid idea of inviting the human over for tea. Annie had said that it was only fair, but Hal had to wonder if she wanted them to interrogate Alycia to make sure that she wasn't going to be a threat to the baby - either that, or Annie wanted female company even though it was entirely unlikely that Alycia would be able to communicate with her.  
So you can see how it was a surprise when he caught sight of a wobbly female on a ladder. He couldn't let her fall onto the ground - no, Hal argued with himself, it wasn't being proper or kind. It was the simple fact that she would likely cut herself and he'd rush to feed from her. And that wasn't exactly something that made a wonderful impression on the neighbors.  
Alycia wasn't terribly heavy in his arms, and he opened his mouth to tell her exactly how stupid it was to stand on the top of a ladder like that - but then the paint can came tumbling after her and they were both doused in the thick liquid.  
Oh, God, it was in his mouth.  
He nearly dropped the girl in his arms and spat the paint out on the ground, trying to wipe it from his face and failing at a miserable extent because the paint was also on the sleeves of his coat.  
The paint-covered man straightened himself, gritted his teeth, and tried to scrape up a little bit of dignity. "Now that you have succeeded in traumatizing my garments, I would like to point out that the ladder is not at all safe, you stupid girl."

Alycia was about to apologize to Hal when the paint fell, covering them both in paint. She managed to get most of it out of her eyes but she was still covered with it, it was even in her hair. She knew this was going to take a long shower to get out. Before she could even say she was sorry, he gritted his teeth and pretty much scolded her for using the ladder to paint the building. "Don't call me stupid! I had no other way to paint it anyway, I can't just throw the paint on the building and hope it looks ok." She did her best to glare through the paint as she tried to make sure that none of it got in her eyes. She was honestly a little irritated, but she understood why he was upset.

She happened to glance at his jacket and knew what kind it was. She made a mental note to go online later and see if she could find him a copy and buy a replacement…this paint wouldn't wash out easy and his coat was covered in it. "It's best if you go inside and take a shower before this stuff dries on…it's hard to get off when it's wet but even harder when it's dry." She knew from experience and she knew she'd be soaking in the water, at least for her hair, for at least 30 minutes to an hour. "I'll…I'll find a way to make it up to you." She spoke softly before she headed back inside, not even bothering to pick up any of the other supplies she'd left outside. She honestly felt horrible that she'd ruined his coat because of her stupidity on the ladder.

"Don't call you stupid? What in the world am I supposed to call it? Because it's painfully obvious that it was short of genius!" Hal snapped, his voice raising a little towards the end. Needless to say, he did not enjoy being soaked in paint. He could still taste it. Had he been anything short of someone with an iron stomach, he would have vomited on the ground right there.  
He, for one, did not know how this deed could be made up. She couldn't exactly wind back time and keep the bucket (or herself, for that matter) from falling. Hal felt the tiniest little twinge of guilt when the girl headed back inside, and decided that the stupid werewolf was, infact, rubbing off on him. Hal would have to spend more time locked in his room, because now he was feeling a little bad about something that was not at all his fault.  
The vampire turned to go back to the run-down bed and breakfast, but his gaze stopped on the paint supplies left out. In a way that was more a desperate need for a routine for the sake of a routine rather than a need to control his bloodlust, Hal picked up the supplies and organized them on the lower steps of the crooked ladder for Alycia to get when she came back out. Then he hurried back inside his own home - or what he could consider a home - and immediately peeled off his coat.  
Annie, of course, was the first one to catch sight of him. "Was it you that I heard shouting? Ha - Oh, my God."  
"I can assure you that God had nothing to do with this." And if he had, it was out of a horrible sense of humor. Hal scowled, paint dripping from his hair.  
The ghost broke down into a fit of laughter, only making Hal's mood shrivel into something even more bitter. "Go - go upstairs and - and wash. I'll t-try to get the paint out of your coat." Annie could hardly talk she was laughing so hard, which didn't quite make sense to Hal, because ghosts did not have to breath.

A few days passed, the rain kept any work from being done on the partly painted building as Alycia worked inside instead. When she wasn't busy unpacking things or painting some of the rooms, she was online trying to find the same kind of jacket Hal had. Finally after almost 10 straight hours of searching, she found it an exact copy of the coat that was now covered in paint and ordered it. Thankfully it arrived fairly quickly. Aly was on her way home from work when she decided to drop the coat off. She'd written a note on it and taped it to the package. "Hal, I'm sorry about what happened to your previous coat. ~_Alycia_" She placed it down on the door step before she knocked on the door and just headed back home. She had a feeling he probably didn't want to see her after what'd happened with the paint, but she at least wanted to drop off the coat and make sure that someone got it.

She headed back inside before starting up the kettle to make herself some tea. It was rather cold due to the rain that'd been falling. Alycia hoped it would go away soon so she could finish up the painting outside. She needed to get the rest of that painted soon. She moved some of her hair out of her face before she turned on some celtic music and curled up on the couch with a book, deciding to read while she waited for her tea to boil. She had felt bad that Hal had been soaked in the paint because of her fall, she just hoped that maybe the replacement coat would make up for the accident. She could only hope. She didn't know why but something about him…something about him was tugging on her and she just…she wanted to see him, even though he hadn't been all that nice to her the few times they had talked.

Not an hour had passed before Hal was knocking on Alycia's door. He did not particularly want to go over there, but once more Annie had offered babysitting as an alternative. Maybe that would not have been such a burden if the child was asleep, but alas, the infact would not stop crying for anyone but Tom.  
Which was how Hal, wrapped in his knew coat, ended up to be knocking on the door of Alycia's house and waiting for her to answer. In perhaps a bit of impatience, Hal cracked open the door and peaked inside. He held in his hands a small batch of muffins that Annie had made, and, upont he ghost's instructions, he was supposed to give them to Alycia as an apology for shouting at her and a thank you for the new coat. "I've brought an apology with me, if you're at all willing to listen." Hal raised his voice. Yes, she'd invited him in the previous day and he could still walk right in, but Hal - when he was not trying to intimidate someone into listening to him - tended to have some semblance of manners. Or at least he acted like he did.  
"And if you don't answer the door quickly I'm going to have to toss your apology through a window, and then I'll probably be forced over here to give another one."  
Alright, that was just him complaining about being forced to go over.

Hearing a knock at the door, Alycia blinked before she made her way down the steps from upstairs. She had been working on some finishing touches to Emma's room when she heard Hal at the door. She smiled hearing him say he had an apology as she made her way over to the door just as he said that he'd toss it through the window and then be forced to come back with another one. She couldn't help but giggle as she opened the door. "Wow, a little impatient are we?" She gave him a light smile seeing he'd gotten the coat she had left on the doorstep for him. "Come on in." She moved some of her hair out of her face as she moved over to pause the celtic music that she had playing. It was always something very relaxing to her that she loved listening to. She plopped herself down on the couch before looking to Hal.

"I'm guessing your friend made you come over?" She asked curiously. "Your uh, little comment about throwing them through the window gave me a hint." She explained She didn't know why she couldn't fight the feeling that she got in her chest whenever Hal was around. He….he gave her butterflies and made her want to smile…to make him smile. She didn't know why those feelings were there and she was doing her best to ignore them, but they kept coming back. "Would you like something to drink? I promise I won't ask you anything that'll make you choke on it this time." She was trying to lighten up the mood a bit. She got some tea for the both of them before she handed him the cup as she sat down on the couch again.

Hal had to commend her taste in music. While it wasn't exactly what he listened to on a daily basis, it was close to it, and the rest of the house was quiet. Had he not been in the presence of a human with blood rushing through her veins, he imagined that it would have been almost relaxing. He stepped inside and handed her the small batch of muffins, cooked to perfection. He did not know what it was about being a ghost that made you good in the kitchen, but apparently being dead did wonders for your culinary abilities.  
"Unfortunately, this friend heard me shout at you the other day and has been badgering me to apologize ever since. The coat on the doorstep was the straw that broke the camel's back, persay. Thank you, it is quite warm." It was also an exact replica of the one he'd had, and he imagined that wasn't an easy find. "Alycia, I apologize for shouting at you. And for calling you stupid." He thought a moment, eyes flickering around the room as he tried to remember whether or not there was something else to apologize for. "And for dropping you."  
That was it, he thought.  
God, he sounded like a child.  
While Hal had been planning on apologizing and leaving immediately afterwords, there was something that drew him in to stay for a little longer. He hoped that it was her smile and not the blood pumping through her veins, but at that moment he wasn't quite sure. He supposed that he could be reassured in the fact that if he stayed there too long, Tom would pop in to make sure that Hal hadn't had a little feast. "Ah, yes, thank you." He said when Alycia handed him the mug of tea, sipping at it.

She accepted the muffins that Hal handed her as an apology as he apologized for the many things that'd happened that day. "And I'm sorry about the paint falling on you." She smiled getting the cup of tea before she sat down on the couch with him with the hot cups. She smiled moving to turn on some of the music again. "I hope you don't mind, I find this type of music helps me when I'm unpacking things, and it's just nice to listen to." She shrugged her shoulders a bit taking a sip from her tea. She actually had a chance to get a good look at him now. He did look very good in that coat, she had to admit he was very…drop dead sexy. The way his hair was just perfectly set…the color of his eyes, and just his facial features in general made a bomb of butterflies erupt in her stomach over again, but she did her best to hide it.

"So, um; Would you be willing to help me paint when the rain stops? I could use an extra hand with the bit that I have left. I'd rather not have a repeat of you having to catch me and having to spend another near 10 hours trying to find that coat again. I think I'd cry if I had to try and find it again." She giggled a bit as she took another sip from her tea and pulled her legs up by her on the couch. She really did want to get to know him more, he seemed a little bit calmer today, she could tell, even though he'd been irritated about his friend forcing him over to apologize. If he really didn't want to be there he probably wouldn't be there with her right now drinking tea, but she was glad he was.

Even Hal wasn't quite sure why he stayed, but he sat down on the couch with her and sipped at his tea. He thought over her question - he didn't mind hard work, that was one thing that had been proven many times over. He would polish silverware, mop floors, organize shelves, and painting didn't seem too difficult a task, either. But was it a god idea when he would be so close to a human?  
That was something that was still on his list, whether or not Tom and Annie chose to ignore it. Hal was supposed to stay well away from humans, from things that he would drain of their blood.  
Perhaps, then, it was a mistake to look over at her. There was something about the girl's face that he couldn't put a finger on, something that told him he wanted an excuse to be around her. And he hoped that it wasn't the fact that every so often he'd think about ripping her throat out with his teeth. "As long as you give your word that I will not return home doused in paint, yes." Hal agreed, his tone not quite as harsh as it had been the past times she'd seen him.  
He sipped again at the tea, closing his eyes for a moment. He was about to do something that was a very, very bad idea. Something that he would likely kick himself for. "I've been told to invite you over to our house." Technically he had not been ordered, but Annie had mentioned something about it and he was sure that the order was coming soon enough. And if Hal did not issue the invitation on his own terms, surely Tom would go over and ask Alycia to visit them and it would happen at the least opportune moment.

Hearing say he'd help if he had her word he won't go home drenched in paint, she couldn't help but giggle as she nodded. "OK, I promise you won't get hit with paint." She finished up her tea pretty quickly before he spoke saying that she was invited over to the house. "Really?" She asked curiously before she nodded. "OK, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun." She was hoping to be able to see the little one that she would be living next door to. She had heard the infant now and again, and honestly it didn't bother her. Hell she worked in a pre-school. She'd be in the wrong profession if it did bother her. "Would you like me to go over with you today or a later date?" She asked curiously. She was dressed in what she normally wore, jeans and a cute t-shirt with her favorite pair of fuzzy blue slippers on her feet.

She was enjoying her time alone with Hal, even though most of the conversation wasn't there, they had a comfortable silence around them listening to the music. "What kind of music do you normally listen to? Not many vampires I know are really interested in the, pounding, give-yourself-a-headache-while-listening-to-it music." She spoke curiously looking to the dark haired vampire that had sent so many butterflies through her stomach she was sure that if she ended up getting sick for whatever reason, there would be nothing but butterflies. She giggled a bit at the thought that passed her mind as she brushed it away. "Sorry, an image just came into my head that made me giggle."

"Preferably today. It's likely that -" Hal had to cut himself off. It was likely that her visit would come at a most inopportune moment otherwise, because Hal just had a terrible streak of bad luck. Atleast, that was what he was currently choosing to believe. Because he couldn't change his luck. If he blamed things on himself he would find a reason that they were, infact, his fault. And he didn't quite want to do that. "You said that you know of ghosts and I know one that's dying to meet you."  
There it was, that suave tone that he was good at using. It was rare that it came into play now, but he was glad that he was not being a complete idiot about this entire thing.  
Or perhaps the idiotic move was inviting her over to begin with.  
His gaze shot back over to her when the girl erupted into giggles. Had he said something amusing? "Classical, usually." But he was known, recently, to sing a couple classic rock songs while he did chores around the house. If he was in a good mood and not thinking about his want for blood. More than once Annie had caught him doing the dishes and humming to a song on the stereo. Of course he'd felt like a fool, but she had been kind enough not to entirely disturb his twice-daily dishwashing.


	5. Chapter 3 Ady

Mitchell grinned when she'd prevented him from getting the answer to his question. "Oooh sneaky." He grinned a little curious as to why she had called him "Pigeon" He decided not to worry about it as he opened the door for her and he made his way up the stairs to drop off his coat. He could hear George downstairs and he couldn't help but laugh hearing his excuse as to why she shouldn't be around him. He took a moment to sniff the clothes he had on. He didn't smell_ that_ bad did he?" He shrugged and made his way downstairs just as George started making his squeaking noise. "George, you sound like a broken squeaky toy." He chuckled before making his way into the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

"I just took her out to breakfast George, it wasn't like I took her out drinking. You know you can trust me." He grinned at his friend who looked to him and pointed a finger at him. Mitchell raised an eyebrow waiting for him to say something but he didn't and sighed. He was just so worried about Adrienne being pulled into their world, he didn't want to take a chance that she'd get hurt because of them. "OK just promise me this Ady, if anyone comes to your door and looks rather off…gives you a bad feeling or anything, do not let them in." He spoke seriously holding her shoulders. "Call me or Mitchell and we'll help you ok? I…I just got you back and I don't want some loon hurting you.

Adrienne's brows furrowed as she looked up at George. Now, he could deny it all he wanted, but he was acting strange. George, at least three years ago, didn't act like that unless he had something to hide. And she wanted to know what it was. There was no reason that she could see for him to be so worried about her - all she'd done was go to breakfast, with someone that he knew, at that.

"George, if you're not currently taking medication for schizophrenia, I think that you should look into it." The redhead said plainly, well aware that could be taken as an insult. Even she didn't know if it had been meant as one.

But he could put his worries to rest. She rarely let anyone in her house. She didn't even like it when the postman stopped by with letters from her brothers. And if someone was, by chance, let into Adrienne's house, she had a very large dog and a very moody cat that objected to their presence even more than she herself did.

Mitchell snickered at what Adrienne said as George's jaw dropped open. "Oop. You really surprised him now, no sounds coming out." He grinned chuckling a bit as he brought back a cup of coffee and placed one in George's hand. "Come on George, you don't want to look like a loon in front of your friend now do ya?" He chuckled as he moved to sit on the couch. "Care to join me Adrienne?" he asked making sure there was a spot for her. "I could probably walk ya home later, or George can, maybe some fresh air would do him some good." George decided to get himself some coffee as well and try to get a hold of himself. Deciding to continue on with the questions, Mitchell turned to Adrienne as she sat on the couch with him. "So, what's your favorite type of food?" He asked her leaning his head against his hand.

He very well may ask her to a dinner date by the end of the day. He knew George would yell at him if he did, but honestly he wanted to. He wanted to ask the young woman to go out with him, to ask her all the questions he wanted to ask her. He had so many of them…she was…so unique, he just felt such a tug in his chest. "George makes a great pasta, he gets in this zone when he's cooking, it's actually really funny to watch. He'll talk to himself as he puts things together." He grinned as George took a seat on the couch on the other side of her. "You've tasted my cooking before haven't you? I think…wait the last time I cooked for you I think I burned the food." He spoke rubbing the back of his head. "Well maybe I can make you another meal before you go home…though I would have to go to the grocery store because our fridge is just sad…."

Adrienne joined Mitchell on the couch and grinned a little when she realized that their questions weren't over. "Pretty much anything doused in hot sauce." She answered with a shrug. It was truthful enough - she wasn't generally picky when it came to food unless it was bland, and she had a high tolerance for spice in general. Most things that she liked to eat tended to make some people cry.  
"A fridge can't be sad, George, it's an inanimate object." The female immediately corrected even though she knew well that wasn't what her friend had meant. "And don't worry about it, I should probably leave soon anyway and make sure that the cat hasn't killed the dog." Actually, George had met her dog before. Of course, Ceasar had been a puppy at that time, and small. Now the Irish Wolfhound came up to above Adrienne's elbows. It was a good thing that he was well-behaved, because she wouldn't be able to control a dog that weighed more than she did otherwise.

Mitchell raised an eyebrow when she said she liked almost anything drenched in hot sauce. "Why?" he asked a little surprised as George chuckled. "Mitchell, trust me. Over the years I've spent with her, there doesn't have to be a reason for her weirdness." He teased her a bit before she said she probably should head back before the cat killed the dog. Mitchell felt a little sad that she had to go, but of course he knew it was coming; she couldn't very well move in with them…she probably already thought they were somewhat mental. "At least let me walk you back." George offered since he hadn't really had much of a chance, as much as Mitchell, to spend with her.

Mitchell would be sure to tell him about how she felt about the supernatural once they were alone, but now wouldn't be a good time. George seemed to perk up a bit when he remembered Adrienne's dog. "How is Ceasar? Last time I saw him he was just a little pup, barely able to reach your ankles." He grinned. He'd love to see the dog again but her cat…well her cat just didn't like anyone and constantly hissed at him before. "Well, why don't we have you over for dinner tomorrow night or something, I think we've got the day shift so we'll have enough time to get things ready before you get here." Mitchell would even try, KEYWORD TRY, to help cook; but with how George could be in the kitchen….he probably wouldn't be able to.

"Well, he's gotten a little bigger." Adrienne said with a grin, knowing that George would be taken aback by the dog's size. She had been, and she'd taken care of the canine for years. She honestly hadn't expected him to get so big - the dog nearly went through twelve cups of kibble a day all on his own. And Edgar, well, Edgar was overweight, moody, and had more fluff than was justified even though she brushed him regularly. "Actually, that sounds nice." She said when she was invited over to dinner the next day. It would give her more time to talk to Mitchell, and most definitely more time to spend around George.  
It wasn't more than an hour or so before she left, walking home with George. It wasn't terribly cold out, and, as always, she had to walk quickly to keep up with him, considering the height difference. "Down this way." She said, taking the last turn on the road to her flat. "So, tell me how you've been. You've gotten taller, gotten a job at a hospital, and have been stalked by at least two senior women. I'm heinously lacking in details, here."

Mitchell waved to Adrienne as she left with George. "It was good to see you again." He smiled as she and George left. Annie popped up beside him with a smile. "Awe, looks like someone's got a little crush!" He looked at Annie with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know who you're talking about Annie because I do not have a crush." He spoke as he picked up the dishes and headed to the sink to clean them, but of course Annie wanted to do it, it made her feel normal. So he let her. "She's nice, I'm happy for George I really am…I can't believe she still went to breakfast with me after she saw me talking to you. She must think I'm mad." He chuckled a bit.

George walked with Adrienne back towards her house before he followed her directions. "Well, I've been ok. I talked to my dad recently, actually saw him and mom. I kind of explained why I left when I did, long story, I'll tell you another time, and they seemed ok with it. I think they're road tripping now." He explained as he shrugged slightly. "Oh, I have a girlfriend now too. Her name's Nina. She works at the hospital. We uh. We actually started off pretty rough but she's really nice and I'm glad that she and I are dating now." He explained. "What about you any serious relationships on your plate?" He was curious and a bit protective of her…ok a lot protective.


	6. Chapter 3 Aly

Today could work. She really had nothing else to do during the day, and she figured it'd be nice to meet his other friend and see Tom again. "Ok, today it is." She playfully smacked her forehead when he'd used a very bad pun. "Hal, sweetie, that was bad." She couldn't help but giggle. The whole "I know one that's dying to meet you" just got her in the biggest giggle fit. She covered her mouth and tried to get a hold of her giggles but it wasn't working very well. She was very aware of the red her face was changing into, when she laughed too much her face would turn a reddish pink. She giggled before she took a deep breath and tried to stop the giggles from getting too bad. "Sorry, I sometimes have random giggle fits and once I start it's hard to stop."

She heard his answer to the classical music. "My mum used to listen to classical all the time. It's partly what got me into celtic music." She explained leaning back against the couch as she fanned herself trying to get her cheeks to go back to their normal color. She hoped she hadn't just made the biggest fool out of herself. She really was starting to like him and she wanted him to like her. "So, shall we head over there?" She asked curiously. She had no idea that she was going to be meeting Annie, the ghost that they lived with and the one that mostly took care of the baby they had over there. "I'll be right back." She headed upstairs to change from her slippers into her flats before she came back downstairs. "Ok, all set."

It had been very long since he'd been referred to as 'sweetie', and Hal did not particularly enjoy the fact that she thought his clever little quip was a stupid pun. He'd been suave, and for a single moment he felt indignant. Admittedly, in his earlier days he would have compared her laughter to the soft sounds of music, or flutes and lyres and elegant violins. He would have swept her off of her feet - and then dug into her neck. That was always how the fairy tale ended. Hal was no prince charming, and he was reminded of that every time his gaze strayed to her neck and his want for blood kicked in.

He waited when she went up the stairs to gather her shoes, and then walked to the door with her. He opened it, allowing her to exit first and quickly following after her.

It didn't take long to get to the bed and breakfast that he was using as a home with Tom and Annie. It was right next door, after all, and he strolled up the drive with her. Hal opened that door, too, after knocking several times to let them know that it was him. He knew that more often than not visitors were greeted with a threatening stake.

That was, after all, the first thing that had happened to him when he showed up there with his now dead friends.

"Come in, I'll just let them know that you're here." Hal didn't have to try hard. Tom was already peaking his head into the entryway to see who it was.

"Oh! You're the nice lady who let us in for tea. Said you knew about ghosts, right? That's Annie - you can't see her, but she can see you." Tom explained. Annie, who had been covering the baby in her grey cardigan, looked relieved to see that it was a friend - though at the same time a little worried at how Tom so openly talked about there being a ghost - at least when Annie herself hadn't gotten a chance to see the new neighbor.

"Hal, we didn't know that you were going -"

"You would have told me to ask eventually." The vampire said simply, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up.

Alycia smiled at Hal. "Sorry, I'm used to calling the kids sweetie at the pre-school. It sometimes still carries over." She smiled as she headed upstairs to get her shoes and headed downstairs with him. She followed him out the door, not even bothering locking up before he lead her inside after knocking on the door. She shrugged and followed him inside as Tom poked his head around the corner. "Awe forgot my name already Tom? That makes me sad." She teased him a bit as she followed Hal into the home. She looked to where Tom was speaking about Annie. She looked to him confused when he said she couldn't see the girl….when in fact she could. "Um…I actually can see her. She's wearing the grey cardigan holding the baby you told me about." She spoke honestly not understanding why they were looking at her funny. "She's not invisible; I can see her just like I can see you two."

She couldn't help but smile. "I've been exposed to supernatural things since I was 4 years old. If not younger. You've got to give me more credit than that." She gave both boys a smile as she walked over to Annie. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm guessing you're the friend who insisted Hal go over?" She asked curiously. She could see the adorable little baby wrapped up in her arms and smiled. "She's adorable." She could see that the woman had a protective streak, just from standing with her. "You should've seen their faces when I told them I knew what Hal was." She giggled a bit before she looked over at the man standing not too far away from her. She still felt that tug towards him but tried to ignore it as she turned her attention back to Annie. "My older brother was changed into a vampire when he was 14, I've known about them since then." She explained so Annie knew what Hal and Tom did.

Hal was immediately taken by surprise and put on guard when Alycia said that she could see Annie. Had he and Tom been wrong? Was she some sort of mythical being, one that only smelled human? But when she explained again that she'd been exposed to supernatural things from a young age, he decided to accept it - if only for the time being.  
Tom, on the other hand, looked downright shocked. So did Annie. Hal saw the ghost tighten her hold on the baby just a little bit when the other woman moved over, but that didn't last long. Hal went and took a seat on the couch, watching the scene play out.  
"Well, yeah." Annie said with a little smile. "Hal's kind of off putting sometimes, but you get used to him, and he's not all bad." Well, that was quite the compliment, Hal thought sarcastically. And that wasn't exactly true, either. He was a vampire; it was next to impossible for him to be any sort of good. "Tom told me that you were adopting a kid? A little girl? Hal, why don't you go get her some tea?" Annie suggested, looking over at the vampire. He gave her a reluctant and slightly irritable look in return, but he did get up to go fetch some tea. It was likely that Annie had just made some. That seemed to be a habit of hers, and while it seemed quite stupid indeed, Hal understood routines and their importance. That was perhaps the only reason why he wasn't hiding the boxes of tea in the cupboard.

Alycia could tell that they were on guard until she said that she had been exposed to supernatural things most her life. She smiled a bit when Annie smiled and confirmed that she was the one that'd sent Hal over to see her. "Thank you for the muffins by the way. That was very sweet of you." She heard what she said about Hal and smiled. "He was pretty nice when we were sitting drinking some tea on the couch. She explained before Annie spoke of how Tom had told her she was adopting. "Yeah! A little girl at the pre-school I teach at. Her name is Emmalei." She explained. "I don't have a picture of her on me; we're not allowed to have pictures of the kids unless it's in a scrapbook type thing." It was just so the parents didn't get upset that their pictures went elsewhere than the classroom.

"I'm just waiting for the final bits of the paperwork to be run through and I'll be able to bring her home with me. I've already fixed up the inside of the house and got her room all set up." She smiled in excitement. "She's the most adorable little 2 ½ year old. She's got blonde hair and the biggest brown eyes I've seen." She smiled as Hal went to get some tea reluctantly. "Thank you Hal." She gave him a smile before she moved to sit in a chair so she could chat with Annie a bit more. "I know you guys are probably curious, so you can ask me anything I'm pretty open." She had to be due to working in pre-school. Everyone wanted to know everything about your life there, so she had learned to be open with those she felt comfortable with.

"Well, he needed to bring something over as an apology. And, being dead, I have plenty of time to cook." Annie said with a little shrug and a grin. Hal could tell that she was pleased to have someone else that could see her, especially a girl. That was one thing that he'd learned about women over the years - they operated by the rule 'there's strength in numbers'.  
He poured a cup of tea for the people in the room, even one for Annie even though she couldn't drink it. That was quickly becoming a habit of his, and if he didn't watch it, it would work its way into his routines and then Annie would be hidden inside a fort of full tea mugs. "Here you are," he said to Alycia, handing her the warm mug. He set the others down on the table, knowing that Tom would get up to get his own and that Annie was busy holding the baby.  
"Have you talked with other vampires or werewolves recently?" Was the first question out of Hal's mouth, and Annie shot him a look that easily stated it was much too soon to start interrogating the girl. Hal didn't think so. The sooner the better and he could get that annoying sense of worry out of the back of his mind. It felt like it was scratching at his brain, thinking that their many enemies would be able to find a way to use the new neighbor to get to them. And oddly enough, it wasn't just that he was worrying about his own safety, or that of the people of the house he was staying in. No, it was also Alycia and her well being - not that he would admit that even to himself.


	7. Chapter 4 Ady

Adrienne grinned when George said how he'd talked to his parents. She didn't imagine that making peace with them had been easy, however he'd done it, but she figured that it had gone well. She would have heard it in his voice otherwise. And her grin widened when he said that he had a girlfriend now. George had rarely had girlfriends - mostly because he tended to weep when women were all too mean to him - and she was happy to hear that he'd found someone.

"Don't start with that, now. I haven't spoken with you for three years, you're not allowed to be all protective." Adrienne said, near scolding him, but grinning as she spoke. "But, no. There were a couple guys, but one was a dick and he didn't like it when people let him know it, and the other liked to play around with other people and that eventually led to me almost being arrested for assault." The law didn't like it when you broke your boyfriend's nose, even if it was because he'd been cheating.

It didn't take long for them to get to her flat, and not moments later was George tackled by a very large dog who seemed to remember him.

"Ceasar, get off of him!" The dog was much too busy licking George's face to listen.

George smiled when she grinned at him for having a girl. He was actually surprised that Nina could handle him. He'd been a real handful back in school, that hadn't changed much. "OH I'm still allowed to be protective of you because you're still my little sister." He grinned and wrapped his arm around her neck playfully. "I'm glad to know though that you can stand up on your own two feet and won't let some guy beat you because he thinks he can." He shook his head a bit before they arrived at her flat. He had just barely stopped for a moment before he was tackled by the dog that he'd last seen as a little PUPPY.

"Little?! You said he grew a LITTLE Adrienne! This. Isn't. Little!" He spoke as the dog was licking his face and he did his best to keep his mouth and eyes closed so the dog wouldn't lick in his mouth or his eyeballs. He chuckled trying to get the large dog off of him but he seemed too busy licking his face to be moved. "How the hell did he get so big?" He asked as best he could while the dog kept him pinned to the ground. Thankfully, being a werewolf this really didn't hurt him as much as it could, but it was still somewhat irritating being stuck on the ground like he was.

"It is, too. He's just - well - I didn't know that the breed got so big when I got him. Apparently neither did my dad. I think my brothers did and it was some sort of a joke between them, but, come on, he's adorable." The redhead said as she wrestled the large, enthusiastic dog off of her friend. She practically had to dig her heels into the floor to do it, but Ceasar, eventually, got the message and gave George room to get up. The dog quickly proceeded to sniff all around the man's coat and then roll over so that his belly was available for petting.  
The redhead shrugged a little and knelt down, giving Ceasar attention. At heart, the giant dog was still quite the puppy. She tended to spoil him rotten. "I think it's the eleven cups of kibble a day. Sometimes fifteen, if he's had a very long walk." At the mention of food, Ceasar rolled back over and trotted into the kitchen. "I suppose the downside is that I can't keep anything on the counters. He can reach them. Oh, and Edgar's sleeping on the windowsill, and he'll probably scratch if you try to wake him up."

George made his way into the house after he'd finally been freed from the dog. "He's still a pup at heart I'm guessing. "He chuckled rubbing the dog's stomach a bit. He had missed the puppy and was glad to see he was still alive and well. He couldn't help but laugh when he got up and trotted into the kitchen for food. "I'm guessing he missed you, and you feeding him. "He grinned shaking his head a bit as she walked with him into the house. He blinked when she spoke of the cat that he hated. He had scars from the damn thing. "You STILL have that THING?" He was shocked. He honestly would've gotten rid of that cat a long long time ago. "I'll probably stop at the store on my way home and pick up some groceries. Especially if I'm cooking for you tomorrow."

He smiled at his friend as he shut the door behind him and looked to the window sill feeling a shiver run up his back when he saw the cat. He hated that cat and always had. That cat just…pissed everyone off. "I'm sure your dad and brothers were happy when you took that thing with you." He spoke about the cat before he moved over to watch her feed her dog who was happily sticking his nose over the counter. "Mitchell will probably keep you company when you come over if I'm still cooking, I uh, I can get very antsy in the kitchen and I like doing things my way." He chuckled a bit shaking his head. "It'll be good to catch up with you more. Sorry about sleeping in so late. You know me, love my sleep." He grinned chatting with her awhile later before he headed back home.

Adrienne was quite glad to have a reason to spend more time with George. That day she'd spent rather normally - taking her dog for a walk, brushing her cat, showering, reading, working on her computer. She hadn't gotten any scratches from Edgar and it didn't seem as though he was any moodier than usual, so she couldn't quite fathom why George was so at odds with Edgar. So he had a couple scars from the cat, so what?

Edgar was like a big, moody baby. It was impossible not to love him.

No time had been set for when she was supposed to arrive over at George and Mitchell's flat, so she ended up there when George was still cooking. He'd rushed from the kitchen to let her in and just as quickly ran back to tend to the stove. She leaned against the doorway and tried not to snicker as he rushed about. It reminded her of the old Tasmanian Devil cartoons that she'd had so much fun watching.

"You were right. He does talk to himself a lot, doesn't he?" The girl asked when she spotted Mitchell.


	8. Chapter 4 Aly

She felt a connection with Annie, though most girls did with each other for some odd reason. Alycia accepted the tea from Hal. "Thank you." She took a sip of the tea and made a mental note to get what type of tea this was. It was really nice. She turned her attention back to Hal when he asked if she'd talked to any other vampires or werewolves lately. "Honestly, only my brother. He tells me he's got a girlfriend, though he won't give me much info about her yet, he doesn't want to jinx it." She explained. "Other than that…I just talk to you guys and the people at my work. My life's pretty boring when it comes to meeting other supernaturals like you guys." She knew Annie was giving him a look about asking her that question. "It's ok Annie. I know you guys are probably just trying to protect the little one."

She chatted with them for a little while longer. She continued to drink the tea as she told them some of the stories she had. She told them about when her brother had been getting ready for his senior prom, he was a vampire by then, and she was giving him a pep talk and how she'd given him a bit of soda in what he thought was a flask to help calm his nerves and by the time he'd come home from the dance he actually thought he was drunk. She giggled at the memory. "I swore to my parents it was only sprite. I have no idea how the hell he thought he was drunk." She giggled a bit as she leaned back in the chair. She was more than happy to answer their questions, if one got a little too personal, she'd just say so. With time she knew she could trust them with anything in her past.

"Well," Annie spoke, a little cautiously. At the mention of the infant in her arms she cradled Eve a little closer, something that Hal had quickly learned was a reflex. It was a good thing they had Annie there for the baby, because it was doubtful that he and Tom could take care of Eve for more than a day on their own.

And, actually, that was perhaps one thing that Tom would do a better job in than Hal.

Babysitting.

Admittedly Alycia had some interesting stories to tell, and the one about her brother and soda made her seem quite clever even in Hal's eyes. "A placebo effect. Stunningly easy to do." The vampire commented from his seat on the couch, sounding distinctly unimpressed even though he was feeling otherwise.

"Did 'e really think he was drunk?" Tom asked, brows furrowed a little. "I mean, just 'cus you told 'im it was alcohol?" Hal saw on the boy's face that it was something to make a note of. As stupid as Tom looked (and sounded), he was, in a way, a fair intelligent boy. Though Hal often found himself wishing that there were subtitles for Tom's conversations.

"That's what a placebo effect is." Hal said, not at all patients, before looking over at Alycia. "So far you do not appear to be a threat to this household, but we will be watching."

"Hal!" Annie said, looking a little taken aback but not at all shocked at his simple words. "We are really sorry for him. He's just -"

Tom finished for her. "'E's just a little mean. Doesn't mean nothin' by it."

"Don't worry Annie I completely understand." She promised the ghost as she chatted with them and told them about her brother's prom incident. "Yeah, he was ready to fall over thinking he was drunk. I told him it was soda! He didn't believe me though." She couldn't help but giggle as she shook her head a bit. "I love him but sometimes he can be really…really stupid." She giggled shaking her head before Hal looked to her and spoke. "Oh that's not creepy at all." She teased him as Annie and Tom apologized for him. "It's alright, I know he's just looking out for you guys, I would too if I was in his position." She spoke. She really did understand that Hal was just looking out for them. She could see they were a family of sorts.

She mentally remembered something. "Oh, um next week, I think its Saturday; would you guys be ok keeping an eye on the place for me? I've got a staff party my work's holding. It'll be late when it's over; I just need someone to make sure nothing happens to the house while I'm gone. I don't want all the work I've put into prepping Emma's room to be for nothing." She knew the little girl hadn't been told yet of her being adopted, she wouldn't be told until the paperwork was finalized, thankfully that was getting very close to happening. It was getting rather late and Aly knew she probably should be heading home soon and getting ready to sleep, she was already feeling tired.

Hal scoffed just a little bit when she said that he was looking out for Tom and Annie and the baby. Perhaps that was true, in a way. He'd promised to help look after them, after all, and they him. It was a promise that he had been ready to break more than a few times, and occasionally still thought about it. He had thought about it quite a lot, actually, when he realized that Tom kept stakes in the restaurant where they worked just in case Hal decided to lunge over the counter and drink the blood of their customers.  
"Well, I don't see why Hal couldn't go over there.'E could bring his classical CD and listen to it all he wanted." Tom immediately offered for his friend, looking at Alycia with a polite little smile.  
Hal was currently cursing the day that his young friend was born. It was obvious that Tom as not at all trying to get Hal any sort of alone time, but instead time with Alycia. And he did not appreciate being tossed into a pairing, let alone a pairing with a human. "Perhaps." Was all he ground out, sipping at his tea as he looked over at Alycia. So there was a party on the weekend. He hoped, somehow, that it didn't last too late. The streets often became dangerous at night.  
But why in the world would he care at all if she had to walk home at night?

The day finally came for the party and Alycia was very excited. The place it was being held at was just down the street. They had rented out a banquet hall, with a dance floor included so those who wanted to dance could dance. Alycia looked at herself in the mirror as she finished up the last few touches to her makeup and hair. She wanted to make sure she looked good for the party. She smiled grabbing her white coat and slipping it over her arm before she made her way downstairs. She'd already invited Hal over so she could show him how the music player worked. By the time she made it down there she smiled hearing the music and guessed he'd already figured it out. "Thank you Hal for being willing to watch the house for me. I've got my phone on me if you need anything. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."

She waved to him and after slipping on her coat she was on her way out the door. She had no idea that within the 3 hours she was gone, she would be coming back with a deep bruise on her cheek. She had gone to the dance with what was supposed to be a good friend and co-worker, but he ended up being a complete and total ass that night. She'd finally had enough and decided to leave, but he'd grabbed her wrist when she left and hissed at her that no one left him. She glared at him and smacked him across the face, which resulted in him punching her. She stormed off away from him and made her way back towards the house, tears slipping down her face which caused her make up to run, both at the pain shooting through her jaw/cheek where he'd hit her, and because this was supposed to be a fun night…and it had ended up ruined. She sniffled and made her way back to the house before she walked in. "Hal…can we go next door please…"

Hal had not known that something was wrong when the door creaked open and she stepped in, but under the notes of the classical music exiting the stereo he'd heard a sniffle. Having caused people to make that noise so often in his own very long life, he knew that something was amiss. He took the remote and turned off the stereo, already grabbing his coat when Alycia asked if she could go next door.

"Indeed. And when we are there, you can make us aware of what happ-" But that was when he saw her face, the bruise blossoming along her soft skin. The mark was too large to have come from a female's hand, which left fewer options on who had done it. Hal could feel that familiar anger rising in him, making his gums ache with an urge to let out his fangs. "Come along." He said, moving to the door and putting a hand on Alycia's back to guide her outside and into the bed and breakfast.

"You back already?" Tom asked when the door opened, but then his eyes landed on Alycia and his expression turned concerned. "What happened?"

"Tom, call Annie down and make Alycia some tea." Hal said through gritted teeth, leading the girl in and over to the couch. "I have somewhere to go."

And with that he was off, more anger flowing through his veins than was rightfully justified.


	9. Chapter 5 Ady

Annie and Mitchell had worked on cleaning up the house a bit before Adrienne arrived. They hadn't exactly given her a time, but they did say dinner so hopefully they could figure out something. He chuckled as he finished fixing things up before he sat down on the couch just as she walked in. "Hey." He grinned as George rushed back into the kitchen. "Yeah. It's actually pretty entertaining to watch. He'll yell at the water if it's not heating up fast enough." He chuckled a bit before offering her a seat on the couch with him to chat. George was obviously too busy to notice any of their conversation so he planned on asking her something that'd been on his mind for awhile. "Hey Adrienne I have a quick question for you." He spoke as he leaned his head against his hand as it was propped up on the back of the couch.

"There's a dance, party thing the hospital is holding. I was wondering if you'd be at all interested in going with me." He gave her a grin curious to see her answer. He knew George wouldn't hear his question so he was safe…for now. "From what I know it's somewhat formal, and there will be some dancing. I can't promise I'll be the best partner to dance with but I do hope you will accept." He gave her a smile. He really did hope she would go with him. It would give him a chance to do something fun with her; possibly make their connection even stronger. He waited to hear her answer, the anticipation killing him.

Adrienne sat on the couch by Mitchell when he offered her a seat, a little curious when he said that he had a quick question. She hadn't been expecting an invitation to a dance, though, and her brows furrowed a little. She debated in her mind for a moment, wondering if she knew him enough to want to spend more time around him. She did want to talk to him more, not that she'd outright tell him that, but she nodded. "Alright, yeah." The female agreed, snickering as she heard George shout at whatever he was cooking.

She wondered, vaguely, if her friend really did need some sort of medication.

"He's not going to hurt himself or anything, right?" Adrienne inquired, glancing over her shoulder towards the kitchen. The George she knew three years ago had been quite accident-prone, especially when he worked in the kitchen.

Mitchell smiled when he asked her to the dance and she furrowed her brows for a few moments. When she agreed he grinned brightly. "Great! I can uh, pick you up if you'd like." He asked curiously before looking to George as he yelled at whatever he was making. He couldn't help but laugh shaking his head. "Nah, he's ok. He's hurt himself before but nothing serious. Just slight little burns here and there." He explained with a chuckle before he made his way into the kitchen door. "Hey, George? You're kinda freaking us out here, breath ok? It's ok." George glared at him for a moment before he did just that and took a deep breath to center himself before going back to work as quickly as ever.

"I tell him he should work in a kitchen or something. He'd get so much food out so quickly I think people would be afraid to get in his way." He chuckled a bit before he moved to sit back down on the couch. "George is probably going to ask Nina, if she doesn't ask him first." He grinned a bit. "They're really interesting to watch at work too. They'll try and flirt and make it look like they're just talking but its funny when they think they've gotten caught." He chuckled shaking his head.

"Either that or he'd become completely overwhelmed by the flow of people and have a mental breakdown in the middle of the kitchen." Adrienne offered an alternative, a little grin forming on her face. She knew how George could get - or at least how he used to get, and that seemed not to have changed. Though admittedly the food didn't smell like it was burning this time, so he had improved over the three years in which she hadn't seen him.

She couldn't help but think it amusing when Mitchell told her about George and Nina. "I still find it amazing that he could talk to a female without weeping. Or possibly setting fire to himself. That happened in chemistry class once."

Accident prone was not a good thing to be when you were playing with chemicals.

There was another shout from the kitchen, but this was not one of pain, and so she imagined that George was just cursing at a pot that had been on the stove to long or something.

Mitchell couldn't help but laugh at what she'd offered as an alternative. "Very true I uh… I could see him breaking down in the middle of the kitchen." He grinned shaking his head a bit as George was rushing back and forth around the kitchen. "You have no idea what amount of pushing him it took to get him to finally talk to her. I mean seriously! He'd been watching her out of the corner of his eye for awhile and it was driving me insane seeing him put himself through that." He chuckled for a moment before he started laughing when she spoke of when he set himself on fire. "He did? Oh I'll bet that was just priceless to see!" he couldn't help but laugh as he could just imagine George catching himself on fire.

He heard George cuss at the pot once more and chuckled. "Our friend Annie tried to help him once when he was cooking for Nina, oh. No. he about flipped his lid when she attempted to help him." he grinned as he chatted with Adrienne. "So, George told me what happened with your dog. Those are really big breeds, but they're good animals to have around." He nodded. He wasn't really one for pets himself, but maybe with time he'd find something he wouldn't mind having around. "He told me about your cat too, the one that apparently doesn't really like him all that much."

"Yeah, he was trying to impress some girl. It was almost painful to watch." Adrienne said with a grin. "It wasn't like Ceasar attacked George or anything. He was just, you know, happy to see him." Granted, with a dog that big, 'happy' could almost be as frightening as 'snarling'. She decided that she liked talking to Mitchell, he was rather down-to-earth. His smile was also contagious and his accent was nice to listen to.  
"Alright, don't listen to anything he says about Edgar. The poor little thing did not leave nearly as many scars on George's ankles as he says." Edgar was her moody little baby - though he did seem to like hiding under the furniture and attacking people's feet as they walked by. But he'd never so much as bit Adrienne unless she was trying to give him a bath.


	10. Chapter 5 Aly

Alycia could feel her cheek throbbing in pain as she looked to Hal when he'd spoken just a moment before. She knew that he'd seen the blossoming bruise she was sporting from the jackass that night. She let Hal lead her back over to the bed and breakfast as he put his hand on her back to guide her. She was glad that he was there for her…she really need it after what'd happened. She walked inside with him before Tom spoke and also saw the bruise as Hal told him to get Annie. She sat down on the couch before she looked to Hal when he left quickly. She knew exactly where he was going…and honestly she wouldn't stop him.

When Annie came downstairs she looked to the ghost girl who seemed as shocked as Tom and Hal had been. She accepted the cup of tea Tom brought her. "The guy I went with…he was supposed to be a friend of mine…I mean we've worked together for at least a few years now…it started out just fine but…then he started grabbing my ass and trying to get me to do things with him…He kept trying to kiss me even when I told him to stop it…I finally had enough and smacked him before leaving…but he grabbed me and told me that no one left him…so I slapped him again and turned to leave but that's when he hit me…." She took a sip of the tea that she had trying to calm herself down as a few more tears slipped down her face. "I didn't even get a chance to dance while I was there…"

"Well," said Tom, trying to be helpful. "If he's that much of a twat, I don't think you'd really wanna' dance with 'im." Annie shot him a look that said he wasn't quite being as helpful as he was trying to be, and Tom silenced himself, reaching out to awkwardly pat Alycia on the back. That was how people comforted people, right?

"Tom." Annie started, biting at her lip. "Why don't you go and - ah - make sure that Hal -"

"That Hal doesn't kill 'im? A'right." Tom spoke as if it was a normal thing, getting up and darting to follow the vampire. He wouldn't stop Hal from beating the man, that was for sure. You weren't supposed to hit women, or try to get them to do things like that. He was all for teaching the guy a lesson, even if he didn't quite wrap his mind around adult emotions very well. He'd just make sure that Hal didn't drink the other guy dry.

Meanwhile, Hal was at the party. It hadn't been tremendously difficult to spot the man who'd hit Alycia. The guy had gotten close enough that Hal could smell him on her close, and at the thought he sneered a little. It was so terribly easy for him to push the man out the back door of the party that was still going on and into a rather dark alleyway - perfect. People didn't like alleyways, or the dark.

"You raised a hand towards a friend of mine." Hal spoke with civility, with a smile. "You shouldn't have done that." The smile turned into a grin and his eyes flooded with black, a hiss arose from his throat, and teeth elongated into fangs.

Alycia knew that Tom was just trying to help, but honestly it wasn't helping much. She used some of the tissues Annie gave her to try and clean her face up. Her mascara had run, ruining the makeup that she'd spent so long prepping. She moved to pull her hair out of the bun that she'd managed to get it up into…she never thought that night would turn out the way it did. She was expecting a lot of fun but no… "Thanks Annie…it means a lot to me to have another girl to talk to this about." She spoke honestly as she took another sip from the tea she had. It helped calm her down a bit. "Do you really think Hal would actually kill him?" She looked to the girl a little worried honestly. She knew that Hal was on the wagon, she didn't want him falling off because of his anger at this guy.

The guy had been at the party, and glared at Hal when he pushed him out the back door. "What the hell is your issue?" He glared at him before Hal spoke saying he'd raised a hand to his friend. "Who? That bitch? She should've done what I told her to." He glared before Hal's eyes turned black and he hissed. The man honestly nearly pissed his pants as he stumbled backwards trying to run away from Hal. He had no idea what the hell he was but he quit his job then and there and flat out left town. He didn't want to have a chance he'd run into Hal again anytime soon.

Hal watched the man run, feeling oddly satisfied with himself. He wanted to go after the man, to finish the lesson that had been started, but he kept himself in the dark alley until he trusted himself enough to control the urge to run after the coward. Tom, of course, showed up just as Hal was exiting the alley. The werewolf looked him up and down and seemed satisfied with the lack of blood.

"Di'n't kill him, did ya'?" Tom asked, though he already knew the answer. Hal gave a shake of his head as an answer.

"I am not going to lie about pondering over the possibility. He quit his job, so it's doubtful that Alycia will be bothered by him again." Hal chose to ignore the grin on the werewolf's face as they walked back home. It did not take the duo long to reach the bed and breakfast - Hal still refused to refer to it as a house.

Shrugging off his coat, Hal did not have to survey the room to realize that Alycia was still there. He could smell her. "Annie, in the first aid kit I'm sure we have some sort of balm for bruises." He told the ghost. He was not going to play nursemaid himself, but he saw no reason for the female's injury to go untreated, whether it be serious or not.

"Hal chased 'im off and now he won't be at work anymore." Tom told Alycia, a subject that Hal had been quite ready to avoid. The vampire took a seat and looked over at the girl on the couch, saying nothing for a long moment. Tom, the idiot boy, made an excuse about going to show Annie where the first aid kit was (Even though the ghost obviously knew) and left the room.

Well, his matchmaking wasn't obvious at all, thought Hal with a bitter tone. He was still quite angry, and now he had no place to direct that anger. "You are alright?"

Alycia looked to the two guys as they came back into the room. Aly was holding a small bag of ice to her cheek with a towel to keep it from getting too cold. The ice should keep the swelling down, though she knew it was going to be a very obvious bruise. She looked to Hal when he sat down as well before Tom left the room. She knew exactly what he was doing. She'd actually told Annie about the feelings she'd been having towards Hal. Yeah she was confused by them but she didn't want them to go. She ran her fingers through her hair for a moment before hearing Hal ask if she was ok. She looked to him and nodded giving him a light smile. "Yeah…my jaw hurts a bit but…other than that I'm ok." She paused for a few moments before she turned to face him better. "Thank you."

He'd been…a bit temperamental with her around, but all in all he was a nice guy. She blinked when she heard some of the music he listened to starting to play and guessed that Annie had the remote. She had a feeling she knew what Annie was trying to do…she never should've told her about her growing feelings for Hal. She leaned back against the couch for a few more moments trying to think of what to say. She honestly just didn't want to be alone at the moment. She would ask Annie most likely if she could stay the night. She wouldn't mind if she had to sleep on the couch, she just didn't want to be in her house alone. She had too much to think about when she was alone.

Hal's eyes flickered over to Alycia. He'd been expecting her to do something along the lines of scold him, or tell him that there were better ways of handling things. That was the treatment that he would have gotten from Leo. When Hal got angry, or thought about blood, or thought about killing, or when his hands started to shake with withdrawal, he was to find something to do or be given something to do. To polish the teaspoons one by one or set up dominoes and take them down.  
He was shaken out of his thoughts when music started to play. Hal was reminded of what Tom said earlier. 'She was upset 'bout not getting a chance to dance with anyone.' Something inside of the vampire twinged, and he rolled his eyes at what he was about to do. His disdain towards himself, however, did not keep him from doing it.  
Hal pushed himself up off of the couch and moved towards Alycia, holding his hand out towards her. Normally the man asking would say, 'Might I have this dance?' or anything else that was suave and sophisticated. Instead the words out of Hal's mouth were; "I am only going to stand like this for so long before I give up. If you wish to dance, the advisable thing to do would be to take my hand."  
Never before would he have said that taking his hand was 'advisable'.


	11. Chapter 6 Ady

Mitchell made a mental note to warn Nina about George setting himself on fire by accident. "I'll remind him and Nina not to have a date near a fireplace or including candles or anything." He grinned widely as George finally stopped moving around the kitchen and came out for a moment. "Dinner is finished." He grinned proudly before allowing Mitchell and Adrienne into the kitchen to sit down at the small table they had. George explained what the food was before everyone was served up and he sat down with a smile. "Pretty darn proud of it if I do say so meself." He grinned a bit looking to his longtime childhood friend. "I heard you telling him about the time I accidently set myself on fire. Did you tell him about the time you dumped that bucket of mop water on the teacher?" He asked with a big grin.

Mitchell raised an eyebrow as he took a bite of food. "Oh, there was a bucket story?" He grinned a bit looking to Adrienne as George chuckled. "Yeah, it really was a funny one too. The teacher was trying to do an example of something, I can't remember what it was now, but he caught his sleeve on fire. Ady walked in just as he did and freaked out not knowing it was on purpose and grabbed the bucket the janitor was using to clean the floors and ran over dumping it on him, dirty mop water and all." He started laughing at the memory.

"There was a bucket story." Adrienne sighed, biting down on the inside of her cheek as she looked over at Mitchell with a shrug. "Unfortunately." George, of course, proceeded to tell the story of how she'd dumped the mop water all over the teacher. The dirty mop water. "You know what, the paper I worked on for seven and a half hours was on that desk, and I didn't want him to start fire on it. Admittedly getting it wet was not the brightest idea in the world, but at that particular moment it had seemed like a wonderful alternative."  
That hadn't been the last time that she'd gotten suspended, either. She hadn't been the worst teenager in the world, but she was never one that had minded getting into trouble.  
The food was really good, and most definitely an impressive improvement from where George's culinary abilities had been when he was younger.  
The conversation continued, and eventually led to George and Adrienne trying to dig up even more stories about the others embarrassing teenage years.

Mitchell had gotten ready for the dance the best way he knew how. He had just finished showering, was dress in a simple yet nice looking pair of black slacks with a dark red button up shirt under his jacket. He smiled as he carried a bouquet of roses towards Adrienne's home. He had asked George her favorite flowers and he'd guessed…so he went with some that he thought she would like; lilies. He arrived at her home fairly quickly and knocked on the door as he waited for her to answer. He was going to go ahead and walk with her to the hospital since it was just down the road a ways. George was on his way to pick up Nina for the dance. He honestly hoped that Adrienne didn't wear high heels, just because he knew how painful they could be, but if they got too bad he could always carry her back.

When the door opened, he gave her a bright smile before he pulled the flowers out so she could see. "I uh, I wasn't too sure what kind you like and George wasn't much of a help, so I went with something I hope you'd like." He gave her the lilies before he saw the very VERY big dog that she had come to the door. "Whoah, George wasn't joking when he said you had a big dog." He chuckled a bit as he shook his head but offered her his arm. "Shall we? I figured we could walk together." Thankfully the weather was going to be nice to them and allow them to walk without being rained on. She honestly looked beautiful in his eyes and he was proud to say she was _his_ date.

Adrienne was just finishing getting ready when there was a knock on the door, and she went to answer it. She invited Mitchell inside while she went to get her shoes and put the flowers on the counter so that she could take care of them later. "He's not that big." Adrienne said, slipping her arm around Mitchell's and walking out the door with him. "Alright, maybe a little." So her dog was a giant. There was little she could do about it but feed him the ten to fifteen cups of food he needed a day. Besides, Ceasar was adorable and still thought of himself as both a puppy and a lapdog.  
"Thank you for the flowers, by the way. Even if it's sort of cliché." She'd always thought it stupid, how guys showed up with flowers. Maybe they'd just been the wrong guys, because there was something about Mitchell that allowed him to pull it off without her labeling it as any sort of annoying.  
She also noted that he did not at all smell bad, which blew George's 'he doesn't wash his clothes very often' statement right out of the water.

Mitchell walked inside as Adrienne was getting ready to go. He smiled seeing the dog as he pet his head letting her take the flowers. "He's giant Adrienne, he's huge." He chuckled a bit as he rubbed the dog's head right behind his ears. He wasn't too used to being around dogs but he didn't mind them. As long as they were ok with him, he was good with them. When she spoke of the flowers he grinned but tried to pull off a little pout. "And here I thought I was being sweet." He teased her a bit before he offered her his arm so they could get going to the dance. He walked with her out of the home and let her lock up before they were off towards their destination.

They arrived at the hospital pretty quickly and Mitchell walked in with her opening the door for her. He waved to George and Nina before he wrapped his arm around her waist and lead her through the halls. "So, what would you like to do first?" There was some food that had been brought, and of course dancing, while there were tables available for those who didn't want to dance or stand around. He would be perfectly happy with whatever she wanted to do. He'd been to night clubs before so he knew how to dance; the thing was he wanted to make sure she was comfortable. If she would only dance to slow songs, that would be perfectly fine with him. He grinned and chuckled a bit when George was giving him an "I'm-watching-you" look. George really did have to trust him a bit more.

"Well, it's good to see that George got a little subtler over the years." Adrienne said. She hardly had to glance over to understand what look George was giving Mitchell. Admittedly she was a little confused as to why - yes, George was protective over his friends, but Mitchell was his friend, too, and George knew him. If he lived with the guy it was obvious that Mitchell wasn't that bad, right? "At least he's not doing that stupid 80's movies 'I'm-watching-you' gesture. He was a big fan of that in high school."

She was at a loss when Mitchell asked what she wanted to do. She was never one for dances or parties or anything of the like. Had he not asked her to go with him, she would have sat at home re-reading Sherlock Holmes, watching horror movies, and drinking too much coffee.

"Come on, dance with me." She decided after a moment. Dancing was something that she could do, and do quite well. Unlike cooking, being patient, and keeping her mouth shut, it was something that she had plenty of practice with.

Mitchell chuckled at what Adrienne said as George gave him the look. He shook his head a bit. "He's real protective of you." He smiled laughing when she spoke of the "I'm watching you" gesture. "Oh he used to do that up until Nina told him he shouldn't do it anymore." He explained with another chuckle. When she decided that she wanted to dance he nodded and followed her onto the dance floor. The song that was playing was a faster one, but he moved with her to the music enjoying seeing her enjoying herself. He was really glad that he'd been able to take her to this; it would give him a chance to spend some one on one time with her. He really did enjoy being around her and with her…honestly his blood lust wasn't that strong. Sure he knew it was there…but it wasn't as strong as it was with others.

He smiled as the song changed to a slower one. He moved to gently place his hands on her hips as they began to transition to a slower song. He could feel George staring at him then heard Nina scolding him and him apologizing. "George just got in trouble with Nina." He grinned chuckling a bit as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. "She defiantly wears the pants in that relationship." He enjoyed feeling her body close to his as they moved together among the sea of other bodies in the room. The rest of the world was just floating away when he was with Adrienne. Something he hadn't experienced in a very…very long time.


	12. Chapter 6 Aly

Alycia blinked when Hal moved to stand in front of her, but instead of being sweet and asking her to dance she couldn't help but giggle at what he said. She accepted his hand as she stood up and let him move her to a part of the living room where there was a bit more room to dance so they wouldn't end up bumping into tables or anything. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck as she began to dance with him letting him lead the dancing. Feeling him this close to her she could take in his scent. He smelled…really good actually. Kind of like vanilla and…a little bit of spice. She moved to the soft music with him as it continued to play, feeling her heart beating a bit faster in her chest, but she did her best to keep it under control knowing how hard it was for him to be around humans.

She moved to gently place her head on his chest as they danced to the song that was being played. She closed her eyes for a few moments to just take in the moment of dancing with him. It felt nice…the night may have been ruined before, but if this is how it ended, she would happily suffer a bruise on her cheek. He was a better dance partner than that asshole anyway. "Honestly Hal…if I had a way of scaring the crap out of him like you do, I'd probably do it. And of course step on him with my highest pair of heeled shoes." She spoke honestly but brushed the man away from her thoughts and focused on dancing with Hal. This was just perfect. She wished she could stop time and just keep dancing with him like this. She looked up to him after a moment and gave him a light smile.

Hal debated on holding his breath, but that seemed an impossible feat. He easily let his hands rest on her waist, and his movements were graceful as he led her through a dance. Hal took pride in his dancing abilities, he had, after all, had a little more than five hundred years to hone them. Annie was probably spying on them from the stairs, but while the thought got under Hal's skin he could not bring himself to look anywhere but down at the female before him. It was not the first time that he'd realized she as pretty, and if the past was any indicator it would not be the last. The only thing that put a touch of disdain in the back of his throat was the bruise that was discoloring her face. Even with that she looked pretty, and he hated it. He hated that he had not gotten a chance to scare the man even more, a chance to possibly break the offending hand.  
Most vampires had issues controlling their anger, and Hal was no different in that aspect.  
Then she spoke. She spoke about how, had she a way of frightening the imbecile that had hit her, she would have. And Hal could not help the blossoming of pride that spread through his chest, though it still did not match the annoyance that he had been feeling only moments before. "If you would still like to step on him, I took note of the direction in which he ran." Even Hal didn't quite know if he was being serious. But his lips twitched slightly upwards into the smallest of smiles.

Alycia loved feeling close to Hal. He had a calming aspect about him, even though she was sure he was still very pissed off at the man that'd hit her, he was giving her a wonderful feeling right now and she just wanted to soak it up. She looked up at him when he spoke before she giggled a bit. "I may take you up on that." She noticed his lips twitched slightly upward. She couldn't believe he was actually smiling…though it was a tiny smile. A smile was still a smile. She moved to rest her head on his chest once more, still looking up at him as they danced together. She knew Annie was watching, she could feel extra eyes on her but at the moment she didn't care. She was going to stay in this little world with him for just a little bit longer.

She could hear the song slowing down and she pouted a little bit, not even fully realizing that she was doing so. She wanted to keep dancing with him; it was really nice. She leaned up and lightly placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for everything." She spoke softly hearing a soft squealing from the stairs and she couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Looks like we're not alone." She still didn't look away from Hal though, even though she knew Annie was still watching, and knowing her, she probably had Tom near the stairs watching as well. If they were to do this again, maybe they'd better do it at her place so they wouldn't have extra eyes watching.

As the duo swayed to the music, Hal could practically feel his heart lightening. That was obviously not a good thing. If he was starting to have - to have feelings for this girl, there was more of a chance that he could lose control. More of a chance that he'd snap and sink his fangs into her pretty little neck. As it was he could already feel her pulse, hear the beating of her heart. He imagined the crimson liquid just underneath her perfect skin and he wanted to bite her, wanted to push her away. Even though his supposed friends were watching from the stairs, they might not get there before he tore her throat out.  
But he didn't. Hal didn't tear her throat out; he did not move any closer to her neck. The brush of her lips on his cheek felt like a feather, a soft little sensation that twisted his entrails together in a way that should have been painful but wasn't. Oh, it had been a long, long time since Hal had feelings like this for anyone. The last person he'd felt like that about, Hal remembered, he'd butchered.  
"Yes, you're rarely alone in this place." The vampire said to Alycia, the tiny smile that had been stuck on his face having disappeared long ago. The song finally stopped and so did Hal, immediately removing his hands from the female's waist and taking a step back so that he could clear his head. The emotions that were starting inside of him had to be some sort of fluke.

As the song ended, Alycia felt Al pulling away after he removed his hands from her waist. She slowly let her arms slip from his shoulders before she gave him a light smile. "Thank you." She spoke softly before she looked to the stairs after a moment. "Hey Annie? I know you're already there so no use hiding." She smiled a bit when she saw the ghost girl poke her head down the steps a bit. "Would you...would you guys mind if I stayed here tonight? I just...I don't really feel comfortable being home alone." She spoke honestly. Maybe she could have Annie go with her to pick up a few things for the night, mainly some pj's, and lock up the place before she went back over there.

She smiled and went next door with Annie as she got changed out of her dress as she was chatting with Annie through the door. She threw on her favorite pair of pajamas and grabbed a spare blanket from the closet. She slipped on her slippers and went back over to the bed and breakfast with Annie. She smiled before she plopped down onto the couch, moving some of her hair back behind her. She was probably going to leave her hair down as she slept; it was already wavy from the braid she'd had it in earlier that day. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch, I've slept on the floor before, so I don't mind." She smiled brightly before she thanked Annie with a hug. "Thank you so much. After dealing with him I just...I didn't really want to be in my home alone." Thankfully Annie understood.

"Don't worry, I completely get it. You should know that your taste in men is so much better than mine - my third boyfriend killed me. Pushed me down the stairs." Annie told Alycia. It sounded cheerful because she'd long since gotten over that one. Hal gave her a look from where he was dusting any available surface, silently letting her know that talking of being killed by boyfriends was not likely the most amusing topic.

Especially for Hal, who could hear it from that particular spot in the room.

His eyes did not stray from his dusting again until he was finished, and then he finally looked over at Alycia. He did not mean to stare, but whether or not he intended to meant little with the way he could not take his eyes off of her. For a very long moment all he did was stare, and then he snapped himself out of it and hurried to the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Annie was waiting there making tea.

"Are you running away from -"

"I am no coward and I am not running away from her!" Hal immediately snapped a look of offense clear on his face. Oh, how he wished there was a counter that wasn't covered in tea-making supplies, because he desperately wanted a surface to hide behind.

Annie stared at him for a long moment before a smile broke out on her face. "You're getting all hot and bothered for her."

"What? No! Don't be vulgar."

Alycia blinked when Annie told her about how her third boyfriend killed her. "Wow, my third boyfriend grabbed my ass on our first date and I broke his nose." She smiled proudly before she walked into the house with Annie. She guessed that Tom was upstairs with Eve. The little girl wasn't all that loud, she could understand though why Hal wasn't used to being around kids, but she guessed it was just different with everyone. She smiled seeing him dusting before she placed the blanket she'd brought with her to sleep under that night beside her. She felt eyes on her after a moment and looked to Hal. She felt a little blush dance across her cheeks as he stared at her. She had to guess it was her pajamas; they weren't revealing or anything…well a tank top was somewhat revealing but not much


	13. Chapter 7 Aly

She saw Hal book it to the kitchen and blinked wondering if she'd done something wrong. She heard him in the kitchen a moment later and couldn't help but giggle. It sure did seem like he was running away from her, but she just listened for a moment but brushed it off and took out the brush she'd gotten to brush her hair back so she could do a simple braid. It wasn't very fun when hair was pulled when one was sleeping. Aly would see if she could get it into a decent braid or not. If not she'd just leave it down, or pull it back into a small ponytail or something. "You ok Hal?" She asked him curiously hearing him yell "No".

Annie was bantering on about Hal 'really was all hot and bothered for Alycia' when a question came from the living room. Hal barely peaked his head out of the kitchen door to look over at the girl, and he gave a swift nod. "I am quite alright." He managed, but swiftly ducked back into the kitchen before he could be caught staring. He wished that he could say it was the fault of the pajamas, but they were by no means the most revealing thing he'd seen a woman in.  
No, it was the woman in the pajamas, with her perfect skin and her pretty neck, and the way she smiled at him and spoke to him as it was normal to be a human around a vampire. He had the feeling that he could have been looking at her like she as a steak and she still would have smiled back at him - this was going to ruin his life. Or, worse, it was going to ruin his list.  
"Don't even try to deny it now, I know that look. I used to give that look to people when I wasn't dead. You've got a crush."  
"I have no such thing! Make your tea and be gone!"  
Annie folded her arms and gave him a look that would have silenced a ship's air horn. "It's got to be the old fashioned jammies. She's appealing to that five-hundred-however-many-years old you are. Mm-hmn. No go. Go bring her this tea and talk to her. Alycia, Hal's going to keep you company for a while!" Annie shouted the last sentence into the living room before Hal could put a hand over her mouth or otherwise silence her. Not for lack of trying, but there was only so much he could do to friend that happened to be dead, and silencing wasn't generally something that fell under his power.  
He peaked out of the kitchen again as Annie shoved the cup of tea into his hands. Why did Alycia have to be beautiful? Why did she have to smile at him? Hal wished that his next-door neighbor would have been a woman in her eighties with seventeen cats and a penchant for cursing at people. It would have been easy to hate her, then.

Alycia could hear Hal harshly telling Annie to get her tea and go away. She couldn't help but giggle a bit as she looked to the kitchen wondering if she should go over there and make sure that Hal was really alright. When Annie called out a moment later she looked up to the kitchen door just as Annie gave him a cup of tea and pretty much pushed him out of the kitchen. She had unfolded her blanket and fluffed a pillow so it was comfortable for her when she went to sleep that night. She accepted the tea he gave her before she placed it down on the table. "I'm guessing Annie kicked you out of the kitchen?" She asked curiously. She'd moved so her feet were pulled up under her, facing the armrest of the couch as Hal moved to sit down and she pulled the blanket out of the way so he wouldn't have to sit on it.

"You have to be the most interesting neighbors I've ever had." She spoke honestly as she worked on braiding her hair back but she was struggling with part of it. "Dang it." She pulled the braid out and brushed her hair trying to get the tangles out so she could get a decent braid done so she didn't accidently pull her hair in her sleep. "Thank you for letting me stay over for the night by the way." She spoke softly as she looked to Hal. She couldn't help but smile around him he just…he brought out something in her. She really liked whatever it was. "Hey um…could you… help me with my braid?" She had managed to get her hair braided fine on her own earlier that day, now she was struggling.

"Indeed." Hal said, sitting on the couch when Alycia moved her blanket."Though why in the world a ghost would choose to spend that much time in the kitchen is anyone's guess." He knew why. It was the routine, it was having something to do, and it was taking care of the other members of that household. He understood the need for routine, but he would have liked to think that his own routines were much more important. They were in place to keep him safe from the world, and the world safe from him.  
He noticed how she was struggling with braiding her hair, and for whatever reason it got under the vampires skin that she was unable to do it right. It was kind of like watching Tom miss spots on the cafe tables they wiped down - Hal always went back and re-did it the correct way, no matter how long it took. "It was not my idea to let you stay for the night." Hal reminded her simply. Had he a choice, he would have sent her back over to her own home.  
Or at least he would have liked to believe that's how things would have gone if the choice had been his.  
"Yes." The vampire said almost immediately when Alycia asked him to help with her hair. No, it wasn't because he liked her; it was because she was doing it wrong. Obviously. "Brush." Hal demanded, holding out his hand for her hairbrush. When he received it he helped with her hair, easily twisting it into a braid.  
You didn't get to be five hundred years old without picking up a few things, and one of those things just so happened to be braiding.

Alycia giggled hearing what Hal said about Annie spending time alone in the kitchen. She was a bit surprised when he agreed to help her with her braid before she fully got the question out. She smiled and turned so her back was to him she could do the braid. She handed him the brush feeling him quickly braid her hair into what she'd been trying to do before hand, but couldn't on her own. When her hair was all braided up, she accepted the brush back before she turned to look to Hal. "Thank you." She moved her braid over her shoulder before she picked up the tea that Annie had made and took a sip of it. For someone who was dead, Annie really did make a good cup of tea.

After a few moments she relaxed with Hal on the couch. She moved to curl up under her warm blanket as they watched some random tv show that was on. Alycia could feel herself drifting off to sleep little by little. She moved a little bit closer to Hal and rested her head against his shoulder. His scent just helped her fall asleep even more. She closed her eyes and within a few moments she was fast asleep, very comfortable beside him. She trusted him. Even though he was a vampire she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. And after he'd gone after the guy that punched her, she knew he cared, even if he denied it. She adjusted herself a bit in her sleep and moved to lightly grip his shirt as her head moved to rest against his chest just a bit.

Hal tensed as soon as Alycia's head rested on his shoulder. He didn't move, didn't speak, and just sat there motionless. He didn't want her to be that close. It wasn't uncomfortable, but that was something that he hadn't expected and he did not by any means appreciate it. He didn't like being taken by surprise, and what kind of foolish human would go that near a vampire?

For God's sake, she knew that he was a bloodsucking monster!

Her breathing slowed and evened and Hal knew that she was asleep. He felt her grip on his shirt and he shifted just the slightest about, thinking about getting up. But he didn't, because waking her somehow seemed like a capital offense. He saw Annie's head o curls peeking out from the kitchen and he mouthed 'Help me!' to her.

Of course she didn't.

Of course she went back up the stairs.

Of course she left a constantly thirsty vampire with a beautiful human girl.

It took Hal the longest time to relax. But the blood - and he could feel it rushing underneath her skin, he could hear her heart every time it beat - the blood had less of a hold on him than it usually did. Perhaps it was because slowly he was becoming tired as well, his head rolling onto the back of the couch as his body relaxed.

"Idiot girl." The vampire murmured before he, too, fell into a light sleep.


	14. Chapter 8 Ady

Mitchell grinned hearing what she said. "You and George were nerds back in high school weren't you?" He asked curiously with a grin. He knew George would make it up to Nina by doing like a little date, cooking for her or something and she'd be fine with him again. He decided not to let it ruin his night. When he asked her if she was enjoying herself he faked being insulted when she spoke. "Did you really expect it to be that bad? It was George's comment about my clothes washing habit wasn't it? Well he wasn't telling ya the truth with that one. I do wash my clothes fairly often." He grinned teasing her right back as they sat close together at the table.

He was really enjoying his time with her. Some of the other girls there were flirting with him but he kept his focus on his date. Declining any dance they tried to get. "Do you want to go dance again? Maybe really show these people how to dance?" He grinned lifting her hand to his lips as he placed a kiss there. Ok he was trying to show off with her but how could you blame him. He really liked her and he hoped that with time she would like him as well. He was determined not to let this girl slip through his fingers. And with her living so close by, that wouldn't be a problem.

"Sweet Pea, I was a nerd before high school. And, if one wishes for specificity, afterwards. And currently." Adrienne was completely unapologetic about that. Hey, her ability to calculate variables in her head had won her many bets. Being a nerd was most definitely not a shameful thing.  
Well, if he was taking her teasing that easily it meant that she could pile on more of it without feeling like she was being mean (as if Adrienne ever really cared about being a little mean). "Oh, I wasn't worried about how often you wash your clothes. It was more how often you wash your hair." She shot him a cheeky little smile.  
Whether it was his accent, the way he smiled, or the way he pressed his lips to her hand, Adrienne found herself agreeing. The redhead got up with him and walked over to the dance floor again. Yes, she was definitely enjoying herself, and considering her usual dislike for parties in general, she knew that it was because of him.

Mitchell was at work with George at the moment. He was working on mopping up the floors at the moment with a smile on his face. Over the past few weeks since the dance he'd spent more and more time with Ady and was really connecting with her. While most girls would get mad at his teasing, she just did it right back to him. He knew she was something special. He'd even told Annie about how he felt around her. George made his way over to him before he spoke to him in a hushed tone. "Mitchell, please, if you're going to keep seeing Ady be careful." He spoke seriously. He knew there were those out there that would do anything to get to either of them. "Of course, I haven't told her anything about us, so don't worry so much George." He spoke not knowing that at that very moment Ady was being taken.

Mitchell had decided to stop by Ady's after work and see if she wanted to possibly catch a movie with him, maybe get some dinner. He made his way over to her house and knocked on the door waiting for a response. He blinked when he didn't get one after a few moments. He knocked again but still didn't get an answer. He was starting to get worried. He put his ear to the door. He couldn't her a heartbeat…well that of a human anyway. He couldn't even smell her there. No she didn't stink; she just had certain…scent that he knew by now. He blinked confused before he made his way back home to see if maybe she'd gone there already.

When men in dark coats had shown up at Adrienne's workplace, she had at first thought nothing of it. She'd assumed they were delivery men, waiting to take some of the programmed, refurbished, or newly built computers back to whichever places had ordered them. She had not assumed that they were kidnappers that would threaten to have a little massacre in the office space if she didn't come with them. But what most surprised the redhead was the black eyes and the hissing.

"That really is the most inconvenient timing in the world." She was snapping at them. "I have work to finish, God damnit!" She looked over at one of the kidnappers with a glare and practically spat, "I swear if you start monologuing, I'm going to kick you in the face!"

Well, guy started monologuing.

She didn't actually manage to kick him in the face, persay, but she'd broke away from the big one's grip, kicked the monologuer in the groin, and then when he started to lean over she pushed down on the back of his head and brought her knee up to meet his face. There was a most satisfying crunch and a howl of pain, but then she was hit over the back of her head and the world went black.


	15. Chapter 8 Aly

Alycia snuggled into Hal's arms as he lay on the couch with her. She slept through the night peacefully curled up beside him. Part way through the night she woke up a bit. She adjusted herself, moving to cover Hal up with the blanket a bit as well as she lay her head back down on his chest and quickly fell back to sleep. She had a feeling when they woke up that Annie would be giggling with Tom about them sleeping like that, but right now, she was happy. His scent…was just making her so very happy and relaxed. She wished she could sleep like this with him more often, but she guessed that he wasn't really one to do that. So for now, she would enjoy it while it lasted.

The next morning came and she rubbed her eyes a bit as she woke up. She heard giggling and looked to Tom and Annie. She stuck her tongue out at them a bit before she moved to bury her face into Hal's chest. "Hal…they're laughing at us." She spoke into his chest knowing he was probably awake by now. She looked up at him before she gave him a light smile and before he knew what she was doing, she leaned up to kiss his cheek softly before she sat up a bit from where she'd been laying with him. "Sorry Hal, I hadn't meant to fall asleep on you last night." She giggled a bit moving her bangs out of her face. She was being honest. "You are a pretty comfortable pillow though." She giggled teasing him a bit.

Hal had woken when he heard the giggling, and he was pulled out of a groggy state when he felt someone almost nuzzle his chest. His eyes widened as he realized what must have happened. He had slept on the couch all throughout the night with Alycia - and what was more, she was alive. Once more he felt the feather light touch of her lips on his cheek, and it would be a lie to say that he didn't enjoy it.  
Which meant that he was going to lie.  
"Stop being a fool and get off of me." Hal demanded, trying not to seem flustered. Well, he wasn't just going to continue sitting there with her, especially not with the teasing tone in her voice. He couldn't. Where was his list? He had things to do, how long had he been asleep? The words 'a comfortable pillow' struck him as slightly offensive and he turned to look at her with furrowed brows. "Are you implying that I'm soft?" He asked, bewildered. "I have braved battles and wielded weapons that you would not be able to as much as lift. I have led troops into grounds of bloodshed and come out a winner, yet you tell me that I am as soft as a pillow? I -"  
"You're ramblin'." Tom politely interrupted Hal, tapping the vampire on the shoulder.  
"- had a shield! A red one!"

A few weeks has passed since Hal had his little rambling after she'd called him a soft pillow. She was at the pre-school working with some of the children on a science project they picked out. She'd even worn an outfit that worked for the project. She smiled before her name was called; she had someone at the front desk who wished to speak with her. "I'll be back you guys." She gave the kids a smile before she got up and went over to the front of the building seeing two men with dark hair and dark coats standing there. "Can I help you?" She asked curiously. One of them that seemed to be the older one spoke up first. "Adorable children. It would be a shame if something…happened to them." He spoke seriously. Alycia didn't know why but she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The second man looked to her after a moment. "If you want the children and your co-workers kept alive, you'll come with us." Alycia knew they were serious. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew she couldn't risk the kids or anyone else getting hurt. She nodded. "Give me just a moment to tell them I have to go." She made her way back and told her manager that there was an emergency and that she was needed. She didn't want to risk letting them know something was going on. She grabbed her coat and left the building…not knowing that it may be the very last time she was in that pre-school with those children she'd grown to love.

The first place Hal had looked was Alycia's home, and when he found that she was not there he tried to quell himself with the sentiment that females- regardless of age, race, personality, disabilities, or otherwise - were always late. Perhaps she had gotten held up at the school, and he went there on foot with is coat pulled tight around him in what would have been to protect him from the wind and the cold but was rather simply to make him feel better. Maybe if he pulled the garment tight enough around himself he would stop thinking.

Annie had sent him to look for Alycia at three. Annie had planned a lunch, and though she said that it was for 'girl time', Hal had gotten the inescapable feeling that he would have been forced to join. That feeling had carried through until around two, when he saw the worry on Annie's face. That was when he'd started to over think.

The vampire made his way into the school, and found a desk with a rather official-looking lady seated behind it. "Excuse me; I require a bit of information. Is Alycia teaching a class today?" Hal asked, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk. The woman gave him a rather annoyed look for it, but he raised his brows and gave back an expression that clearly said he was in no mood to wait.

"Can I ask who you are?"

Hal's lips thinned, and he took a breath. "If you do not tell me, you will regret it for however short a life you have left."  
He did not get as much information from the threat as he usually did, only that Alycia had left around ten that morning and that her manager knew who with. Who was her manager? Well, the woman behind the desk wasn't supposed to tell him - he made another not-so-subtle threat, and was rewarded with the manager's name and current location.

Hal's worry - and suspicion - increasing by the second, he went to find the manager.

"Woah, woah -"

"Tell me who Alycia left with. Now!" Hal was so close to shaking the answer out of the man, but, thankfully, he got one. Big men, dark hair, dark jackets. He didn't even have to guess. Where they were, however, he hoped that his guessing was correct.


	16. Chapter 9 Ady

Mitchell was worried when he arrived home. Addy wasn't there either…he ran his hand through his hair before he decided to stop by her work to see if she was there. She wasn't. He'd been told that she left early and that two men had come to get her. He asked what they looked like worriedly and when he'd gotten the information…he could barely contain himself. He took a deep breath before he rushed out of the building. He had a feeling where they took her, but he prayed to God he was right. He couldn't get George involved in this. Even though he was a wolf, he wasn't a wolf right NOW and he was still human and could be killed. He would have to save Ady himself.

He bolted into the old funeral home before glaring at the man sitting in the front. "Where is she." He spoke lowly not caring to wait. He could smell her here and he was going to find her and save her. He stormed past the man that was there, knocking him out of his way before he quickly made his way down the halls towards the door he knew would hold her. He could smell her there and he slammed his foot against the door before he stormed in glaring at the two men that were standing there. "Who the hell do you think you are!" He hissed lowly ready to rip their heads off then and there. They had put Ady in danger…and exposed what they were to her. He wasn't going to let her be harmed though, he had to protect her.

Adrienne had since woken up, though her head pounded and she felt groggier than when she had to let the cat outside at four in the morning. The two that had captured her were trying to make threats and frighten her, that much was obvious, but she couldn't understand the words coming out of their mouths for the life of her. She was pretty sure that in her grogginess, she'd informed one of them that he looked like a really, really shitty Santa Claus.  
She hoped that was just in her mind, though.  
The groggy feeling faded and their threats became more real, and she was frightened. Hell, she was terrified. But her temper rivaled that, and she cursed at them, kicking and scratching at their faces when they got closer. They were going to have some very interesting bruises, and the one that she'd hit earlier had a very large mark spreading across his face.  
That was when the door slammed open, and instead of another unwelcome, unknown person, it was Mitchell. If her head had been working how it should have, she might have stopped to ponder how exactly he'd found her.

Mitchell glared to the vampires that were holding Ady and threatening her. He cracked his knuckles a bit. "You two have two options. Either you let her go right now, and maybe I won't rip your heads off, or I'll take her back myself after I tear both of you limb from limb." He spoke seriously. He could tell the two knew who he was and what he was capable of. They seemed to think about it for a few moments. When one decided to lunge at him while the other ran out of the room as fast as he could; Mitchell easily caught the vampire attacking him. "Close your eyes Adrienne." He spoke seriously and when she did he ripped his head off and threw his body off to the side. He quickly moved over to her as he gently picked her up in his arms.

"I'll get you to the house to get your head looked at Nina's probably over there and she can help make sure you don't have a concussion…I promise I'll explain everything when we get back to the house." He promised her. He quickly carried her out of there and took her to the house. He raced in the door and gently placed her down on the couch. "Nina!" He called out knowing she was there as the blonde came downstairs with George. George about had a heart attack seeing Ady's condition as Nina moved Mitchell out of the way and check up on Adrienne, making sure she wouldn't have a concussion. "She'll be ok. Probably a pretty bad headache but no concussion." She spoke after a few moments of looking at her injuries.

Adrienne's injuries weren't terrible. She had a couple bruises, and then the small lump on the back of her head from where she'd been hit, but other than that she was fine. Though she'd ruined her best pair of jeans and her favorite blazer with blood from the guy's broken nose. George was doing that squeaking noise again, but not the one that happened when he couldn't figure out what to say, the one that happened when he was freaking out with worry.  
"It's not mine, George, so just shut up." With the pounding headache that was occurring both on the outside and inside of her skull, she wasn't in the mood for patience. Not at all.  
The redhead's eyes flickered around the room and landed on Mitchell. He'd said that he'd explain things when they got back to the house, and, well, they were back at the house. She raised her brows at him, not really having to ask. He had to know by that point that she was nosy enough to dig the answer out of him with a plastic spoon if she had to.

Mitchell stood with George as Nina worked on checking her over. He was relieved when she said there was no concussion. "Thank God." He spoke seriously feeling such a weight off his shoulders now. He looked to her as she lay on the couch with a huge headache. He quickly got some medicine to help the pain dull down at least a bit. He handed it to her with a glass of water. "Take this; it should help your head." He spoke softly before he knelt down by the couch knowing he'd promised he would explain what was going on once they got back to the house. Well, they were back at the house. He looked to George for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"Well…to start off, Nina and George are werewolves and I'm a vampire…those things that took you are vampires too." He explained as bluntly as he could. "George is the typical change-during-a-full-moon werewolf. I don't burn in the sun, though it does hurt my eyes a bit, and George doesn't die by a silver bullet…as far as I know." He spoke looking to his friend as he shrugged when he looked at him odd. He looked back to her knowing that she'd probably think they were insane if she hadn't seen it for herself. "I've been off of human blood for awhile now. There are some out there that try not to drink from humans." He explained. "If you have any questions I can try to answer them.

'Well, to start off' had never been so casually used before, and Adrienne was never going to trust those words again. She opened her mouth to ask if Mitchell had gone _fucking insane_, but decided against it. He looked serious. So she'd have to ask if he was _deluded_. That matched the situation a lot more.  
She was going to, but - well, she'd seen the black eyes and the fangs on the guys that had taken her from work. Mitchell had given her details, small ones that she wouldn't have thought to ask about yet. Had it not been for those little things, she would have thought it was some ridiculously cruel joke that was probably George's fault somehow.  
Something occurred to the girl, and she reached out and put a hand on Mitchell's face to get him to be quiet. "Wait a second - George is a werewolf. A werewolf." Headache momentarily forgotten, her blue eyes snapped over to George. "How long has that shit been going on?" She demanded. When she got her answer - _two years_ - she stared at him for a long moment before grabbing the nearest thing she could (luckily for the man it was just a couch pillow) and proceeded to attack him with it.  
"Two fucking years - _two years, damnit_!" Curses poured out of her mouth, a lot with insulting names. She was off of the couch at that point, hitting him about the face and abdomen with the fluffy pillow while George tried hopelessly to defend himself. She only stopped when she ran out of offensive adjectives.


	17. Chapter 9 Aly

Alycia had a feeling that something wasn't right when she was dragged into an abandoned building. She managed to slip the ring she had off of her finger and let it fall to the ground, neither of the vampire stopped to be bothered by it. She knew that if Hal somehow managed to find her, he'd know that that was her ring. She could only pray that he managed to find her. She was locked in a room with a man that didn't look very happy at the moment. She had no idea who he was or why she'd been taken here, but by the color of his eyes she knew he wasn't human. "Vampire." She spoke softly under her breath before the man grinned. "Oh, so you do know of us hm? A pity you won't be staying around too long."

Alycia winced when she was pinned to the wall with the man's hand around her throat. She glared at him when he sniffed her hair as she tried to kick him but he just pinned her legs down with his body. She winced at the tight grip on her throat as she tried to struggle free but she knew for a fact it was no use. She winced feeling her lungs burn for air as she tried to pry his hand off of her throat. "Hm…a pity Hal won't be able to taste your blood. He did seem rather attached to you. Your death should do nicely for our cause." Alycia felt panic fill her body as she desperately tried to free herself, a few tears slipping down her face before the door was busted open just seconds later. "Don't move! One wrong move and I'll kill her now!"

Hal would not have thought that he was right. From outside the abandoned building he couldn't decipher the scents around the area. Human melded with vampire, vampire with dirt and rot. There was too much in the air and he didn't have time to pick every individual scent apart to find Alycia's. He found her ring outside, and that was what convinced him. Before he could help it his eyes flooded with black, as if someone had poured ink into them. His fangs elongated and a hiss erupted from his throat even though he did not mean for it to.  
He threw the door open only to find one of his own kind - no, he thought, they weren't. Not anymore - hovering over Alycia with barred, bone-white fangs. Hal's lips pulled into a snarl.  
"You will, will you?" He drawled, his mind alight. He took a tentative step forward, his eyes resting on the hand that held Alycia's throat. While he'd thought about that neck of hers many times, a feeling of disgust made his stomach twist itself into a knot. "Did you honestly think a human meant that much to me? That this would bother me?"  
Hal was raging. He was seething, and he could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. He had a single stake, one tucked into the back of his trousers and hidden under his coat in a way that was not at all comfortable. Tom had tossed it to him before he'd left, and Hal had at the time thought little of it.  
Talk and stall, he thought. Just for a moment.  
"The only thing that bothers me, fool, is that she is meant to be my kill. And if I were you, I would be absolutely terrified of angering me."  
One more step and Hal lunged. It was barbaric and stupid, but it was the only thing he could do yet. He tackled the man to the ground and tore into him - that was where the push-ups came in handy. He would have to save that bit of knowledge for future arguments with Annie. He grabbed the stake and pushed it into the vampire's chest before jumping up and pushing Alycia behind him, ready to face the other one.

Alycia felt the vampire's grip on her throat tighten a bit as she closed her eyes tightly trying to ignore the burning sensation in her chest for air. She had a feeling that Hal was just saying those things so the vampire would be scared of him and he could get closer. Thankfully Hal reacted quickly and the man let her go when Hal tackled him. She gasped for air feeling her lungs fill up with the precious substance as she backed away towards the wall as Hal stabbed the man in the chest with a stake. She rubbed her throat feeling Hal move in front of her to protect her. She was shaking terrified after what'd happened, but she tried to keep herself calm…well as best she could after being kidnapped and almost killed.

The second vampire saw Hal easily kill his partner and threw his hands up. "I give up! I was only following orders!" He spoke quickly before he bolted out of the building not wanting to be killed like his friend. Had they known Hal was so strong, they wouldn't have pulled the stunt they did. Alycia looked to Hal as he was still in front of her as she shook practically from head to toe…both from the cold and from the near heart attack she almost had. She didn't even think before she reacted. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly when he'd turned to look at her. She felt tears slipping down her face, so relieved that he'd found her when he did. "Thank you…Hal." She spoke softly just clinging onto him for a few more moments.

For a single long moment, Hal wrapped his arms around Alycia and pulled her close. He buried his face in her hair and tried to find words to quell her shaking, but he could not. What was there to say? 'I'm sorry that you were attacked, it was something that I should have seen coming' didn't seem quite right. There was also 'You'll probably have to get used to never being let out of my sight', but he didn't think that she would appreciate the sentiment behind it.  
Hal did not want to admit how worried he'd been, but he was nearly shaking, too.  
"You're not injured, are you?" He finally asked, gathering his wits. He would have smelled it if she was bleeding, instead the only scent lingering in the air was fear and he could not tell if it was hers or his own. "Come along." Hal didn't let her walk. He didn't trust her not to faint. He scooped her up and carried her back to the bed and breakfast. He should have said more. He should have told her then how worried he was, how horrified he'd been. He should have let her know that the thought of losing her had made a cold, numb, terrifying feeling claw its way up his spine. But he didn't. Hal's thoughts were taken up with the statement 'we were just following orders'.  
Who's orders?  
"Tom! Annie!" The vampire called when he got Alycia into the doorway.  
He was not going to let her out of his sight. Not for a long, long while. Not until he knew who had given the orders for her to be attacked

Alycia felt her body shaking as Hal wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She clung onto him tightly feeling his face in her hair as she was shaking in his arms. She was so glad to feel him holding her, she already felt safer being this close to him. She buried her face into his neck trying to take a few calming breaths before Hal spoke asking if she was injured at all. "No…I don't think so." She spoke softly before he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the home he shared with Annie and Tom. She was still shaking a bit but she held onto him on the way back. Taking in his scent she focused on that and slowly she was able to stop shaking. She knew she'd have bruises on her throat from where the man had grabbed her…

When he walked inside she heard Annie and Tom racing into the living room when Hal arrived back. She wanted to stay as close to Hal as she could. She hugged Annie though knowing she was probably as worried as Tom and Hal had been if not more so when she hadn't shown up for lunch that day. "Can I get some hot chocolate or something please?" She had been held in that place for a few hours and honestly she was still cold, even clinging onto Hal as she was. She moved some of her hair behind her ear before she looked to Hal and gave him a light smile and another tight hug. "Thank you…" She whispered against his chest. She knew she probably wouldn't be left alone for quite awhile now…but she didn't mind.

"Y-Yeah, just a minute." Annie said, hurrying into the kitchen where a pot of water was no doubt already boiling. As the ghost got the comforting beverage ready, Hal brought Alycia over to the couch and let her sit down, this time sitting with her at a proximity that he would have previously deemed all to close. He was still tense himself, still furious and frustrated and worried. It occurred to him only after they'd sat down that she'd hugged him and thanked him, and that he'd said nothing in return.  
"You are quite welcome." Hal offered, but realized once it had come out of his mouth that the words sounded stiff. But he couldn't tell her how worried he'd been, how the feelings he had for her were something that he hadn't had in a long, long time. Longer than most had been alive.  
Annie came out of the kitchen with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and handed it to Alycia. "If you need to stay over here again, that's alright. Actually we'd prefer it. Wouldn't we, Hal?" The ghost asked as if she was expecting him to object.  
This time, Hal had no objection. He would likely be peering out the window and watching her house just to be sure that nothing was going to attempt and break in. This was likely not going to be the last time that something like that happened, and he did not want to think about Alycia's chances if he didn't keep his eye on her, now.


	18. Chapter 10 Ady

Mitchell kept a serious face as he explained about what they were and hoped that she wouldn't think she or they were insane. He felt her hand on his face after a moment and wanted so badly to lean into her soft touch. "Yeah." He spoke when she'd asked about George being a werewolf. He had a feeling something was about to go on. George answered about two years. He blinked when she stared at him for a long few moments before she got up and started beating him with the pillow. Mitchell jumped back a little surprised but started laughing as George tried to shield himself as he was getting hit over and over with the pillow as Adrienne cursed at him. He was laughing so hard his sides hurt as she continued to beat him with the fluffy pillow until she ran out of things to say.

"I…I don't think I've ever seen someone's reaction like that to the super natural." He chuckled a bit shaking his head a bit as she finally stopped beating him up for a few moments. Nina had just been standing to the side and smiled. "Yeah he uh, he didn't even tell me until I got dragged into a little warfare thing with these two." She explained knowing the girl probably couldn't see Annie. At least right now. Maybe with time she'd see the ghost that the rest of them saw, but for now she wouldn't mention it. The girl had enough in her brain to figure out. Mitchell knew he'd have to keep an eye on her and protect her since the vampires already knew that she was important to him. He didn't want to take the chance that they'd go after her again.

Adrienne sat back down for a moment, hiding her face in her hands. Her head was pounding even more after all the shouting she'd done, her friend was a werewolf, his girlfriend was a werewolf, and the man that she had been hanging out with for the past two and a half weeks was a vampire. "What's next, fucking unicorns?" The girl asked, voice exceedingly muffled from her hands. She let out a long breath, her brain working in overdrive to process the things she'd just been told. It wasn't easy, but she did happen to stumble upon the exact way she was going to deal with it.  
She was going to approach this issue with complete and utter avoidance.  
Usually she was one for displacement, but avoidance was nice, too.  
The redhead got up and left, vaguely hearing George call after her to ask where she was going. Her answer was a simple, over the shoulder, "It's still a workday, Genius!" As stupid as it was, she was planning on being angry at him. He was a friend that she held quite dear even if they hadn't talked in a long time, and she was miffed that he hadn't told her that once a month he turned into a hairy, angry, giant dog.  
She did hate leaving her work unfinished, and she still had programming to do. She could deal with that. She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the existence of supposedly mythical beings. Needless to say, work sounded like the better option.

Mitchell was worried when Adrienne moved to sit with her hands covering her face. "Are you ok?" He spoke softly knowing her headache probably wasn't feeling much better with all the yelling. He understood what she said before he rubbed the back of his head lightly. "No um…actually that would be ghosts." He explained before she stood up and headed to the door. He blinked surprised when she left. He quickly grabbed his coat and decided to follow after her…probably at a distance so she wouldn't yell at him, but he had to make sure that she was safe. He'd wait outside her work if he had to, to make sure that she was protected. He knew those that took her could still try to pull something.

He arrived at her work just moments after her and decided to just wait outside. He kept himself busy with different thoughts and actually bought a book from the café next door. He worked on reading it partly as he also kept looking around the work making sure that nothing was going to happen on his watch. She may need some time to absorb everything and he was perfectly fine with that, but he wanted to make sure she was safe. To do that, he had to be wherever she was. Thankfully he could figure out something with work so he could make sure she was ok for a few days…though he'd like that to be more weeks than days…but he couldn't look like a stalker….that would be bad.

It was days before Adrienne would talk to Mitchell again, let alone George. The redhead wasn't so much frightened of them as she was irritated - well, specifically at George. The last time he'd upset her near that much, she'd dumped grape Kool-Aid all over his science homework. That didn't happen this time largely due to the absence of grape Kool-Aid and the fact that the closest thing George had to homework was a few hospital patients that spoke to him after work.

That probably would have just got her arrested, come to think of it.

Maybe her anger had been present, somewhat, because Mitchell was a ridiculously obvious stalker. She wanted to shout at him that she wasn't going to have a mental breakdown, and that she was completely fine and he didn't have to wait for her outside of work or her house. Instead, she opened the door and called to see if he wanted to come in and watch a movie with her.

Mitchell had been watching over Adrienne over the past few days. She finally started talking to him at least a little bit. He knew that she wasn't scared; he just wanted to make sure no other vampires went after her; he had to keep her safe. He had watched over her at work and at her home. He did his best to stay hidden but he guessed that she probably saw him…at least once. He looked to her house when she called out to see if he wanted to join her for a movie. He may as well; he could keep her company and see how she was doing. He moved towards her house and gave her a light smile. "Was that just an invitation to get me to come out so you could see me? Or did you really mean it?" He grinned chuckling a bit.

He let her answer him before he walked into the house and was immediately welcomed by her dog again. He pet the dog's head and noticed the cat that George had told him about hiding under the couch glaring at him. He just glared back at the cat before he looked to Adrienne. "George told me the last time you were this mad at him you threw grape Kool-Aid all over his project." George had said it was a pure white project…turned pure purple. George knew he was in deep trouble and knew she'd probably be mad at him for awhile longer…but he knew to just let her calm down on her own before talking to him again…though that didn't stop him from trying to fix things.

"You're not exactly the greatest at hiding, so the latter." Adrienne had answered Mitchell. Maybe he was supposed to be all good at slinking into the shadows, but, come on; it wasn't difficult to see him light up a cigarette. He had to know that the smoke would have given him away if the light didn't. Edgar was under the couch sending a sharp glare towards the newcomer, and Adrienne didn't think that she really needed to warn Mitchell about the feline attacking people's ankles. George would have complained about it enough to make it clear.

Upon the mention of the grape Kool-aid incident, the redhead tried not to give too much of a smile. "I would like to argue that it was completely and utterly his fault. Do you want tea or coffee or something?" She'd rented movies, and one was in the living room just starting.

Admittedly, she was nowhere near as annoyed at Mitchell as she was at George. Why? Well, George was one of her dearest friends, and he'd been a werewolf for two years and she'd heard nothing about it. She'd known Mitchell for just a few weeks and she knew about him, whether that have been an accident or not.

Mitchell chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah probably should work on that." He grinned a bit before he walked into the house as she tried not to smile when he spoke of the Kool-Aid incident between her and George. "I found it pretty funny and genius." He chuckled a bit before hearing her offer him something to drink. "Coffee would be amazing." He felt the cat scratching his leg so when Adrienne moved into the kitchen he let out a quick little hiss at the cat before following behind her, smirking at the cat's reaction. "What kind of movie did you have in mind?" He asked as he leaned against the wall for a moment.

He knew that the only reason she probably wasn't as pissed off at him as she was at George was because she hadn't known him nearly as long as she'd known George. He was sure she would understand though WHY he had kept it a secret. It wasn't very easy to tell your friends and family that you were a werewolf and not be sent to a mental hospital. He followed her back into the living room accepting the cup of liquid she'd brought him. "What do you say to dinner tonight? My treat, you can chose where you'd like to go." He offered her with a light smile. He had a few places in mind they could go to, he hoped to make this one more of a date…without George watching over his shoulder the entire time. "Or even a picnic tomorrow should the weather allow it."

When Adrienne came back into the living room, the cat was no longer under the couch. Edgar was behind the chair, hidden in the long drapes - and if his tail (the only visible part of the cat) was anything to go by, he had puffed up near three times his size with fright. "Why's he hiding like that?" She asked, tilting her head.

"It's some eighties comedy movie." She gave a shrug as she sat on the couch. She'd forgotten the title of it; all she knew was that it had looked fairly interesting in the video store. When it came to movies, Adrienne was easy to please. She liked horror movies, Scy-Fi movies, classics - really, the only things that she couldn't stand were holiday movies. Her eyes flickered over to Mitchell when he asked if she wanted to get dinner that night, or maybe have a picnic the next day. "Well, I called and ordered pizza a few minutes ago - you could just stay, if you like." She was definitely not objected to having his company.


	19. Chapter 10 Aly

Alycia sat on the couch with Hal practically curled up beside him. She thanked Tom for the blanket he brought her as she wrapped herself up in it trying to warm up as she stayed close to the man that'd saved her. She accepted the hot chocolate from Annie as she curled up by Hal's side feeling her body still shaking just the smallest bit. She heard Annie's offer to stay over there another night and she instantly agreed. She knew for a fact she wouldn't be able to sleep much that night unless she was close to someone…preferably Hal. She drank some of the hot chocolate and closed her eyes as she felt he warm liquid run down her throat helping warm her up. "I'll call in tomorrow…I'll take a few personal days." She knew she would need them.

She finished the hot chocolate after a few minutes and moved to gently lay her head back down on Hal's shoulder as he sat beside her on the couch. She was actually surprised when he hadn't objected about her staying, but she was really happy about that. "I can go over and get some stuff later…" She spoke softly knowing her legs probably wouldn't be working right now. She let Annie look at her neck, seeing the indent bruises already showing up from the vampires grip on her throat. "Hal had perfect timing…I'm not even kidding." She spoke before she gave the vampire a light smile. She knew if it hadn't been for him she wouldn't be there with them right now. She wanted so badly to just curl up in his arms and forget the rest of the world was even there for awhile.

This time, Hal let the female curl up by him. He let her remain close, and for once he did not think about the blood pumping through her. Instead he stared hard at the bruises on her neck, maliciously wishing that he could have drawn out the offender's death a little more, made him suffer. He wanted to get revenge, but that was a perfectly normal feeling. Not for the first time, Hal was reminded that he was not at all a nice person.  
He wasn't a person at all.  
But yet he felt the need to keep this human safe. This annoying human that had dropped paint on him and liked to get closer than he would have allowed anyone else. He eyed the rest of her for any more bruises, for cuts that he hadn't noticed. There were none, but his gaze lingered on her hand for a moment before he remembered that he still had her ring.  
"It's a good thing you dropped it. I would not have known where to look otherwise." Hal stated, taking the little piece of jewelry out of his pocket and handing it back to Alycia. He should have said more, but instead he stood. "I'll fetch a blanket."  
He got bedding from the closet for her, and brought it to the couch. "You should sleep." It wasn't terribly late, but it had been a long day and he could only imagine that being attacked would leave someone emotionally drained. Or maybe it was the simple fact that he wanted to have an excuse to stay away from her for a little while to sort out his own feelings.

She could feel Hal looking at the marks on her neck. She blinked when he spoke and gave her the ring back that she'd dropped. She had actually forgotten all about it. She smiled accepting it back before she slipped it back onto her finger as he got up to get some blankets for her. She took the cup into the kitchen rinsing it out before she moved back over to the couch as Hal brought the bedding for her to use. "Thank you." She looked to him as she gave him a little smile. She had Annie go next door for her and get the clothes she had set up on the bed. She was weird; she liked to pull out her pj's so that night she didn't have to think about what she would wear to sleep the next night.

She used the bathroom to change before she curled up on the couch and tried to sleep. As hours passed she just couldn't sleep. She even tried watching some random tv that would normally put her to sleep but it wasn't working this time. She looked to the clock once and saw it was nearing 2 am. She had called into work giving herself a few days to recover, hoping she'd be able to hide the bruises with a scarf or something. The weather was cool enough for it. She looked back to the TV as she bundled herself up in the blankets and watched the images flash on the screen. Sleep was just teasing her tonight, she'd start to get a little tired then something would wake her up and she'd be on high alert again…it wasn't fair.

Hal had tossed and turned in his bed for the longest time, and he could not bring himself to sleep. He blamed it on the lack of routine that day, the unsettling events. His brain would not quite enough for him to ignore it and drift off into sleep.

Finally throwing the blankets away from himself, he headed down the stairs for a glass of water - or possibly tea that had been left on the counter by Annie, if he could decipher whether or not the cups had already been drunk from or not - but the moment he stepped into the downstairs portion of the house he saw a human girl on the couch wide awake. Water momentarily forgotten, he moved to stand quietly behind the couch.

"Why are you still awake?" He suddenly inquired, brows furrowed. "It's near two-thirty." It occurred to Hal before she answered that she might be suffering from the same problem as he was. Thinking too much, not letting your brain shut off - or maybe it was the blasted television keeping her awake.

"Would you - I mean -" What was he even asking her? Had Hal been any younger than his many, many years, he might have been turning red. As it was he could feel his cheeks start to heat up and his words come in stutters. "Would you like - ah - t-to sleep -" God, now he just sounded like a murderer. He consoled himself with the fact that he was, occasionally, a murderer. "W-Would you like to sleep in my bed tonight?"

It even sounded odd when he managed to get it out without stuttering, and Hal wished that he was upstairs so that he could just fiddle with the dominoes until sleep took him.

Alycia lay on the couch trying to find a way to get her mind to shut up so she could sleep. She blinked hearing movement on the stairs before she looked to where Hal was standing behind the couch. "I couldn't sleep." She spoke softly moving to lay on her back so she could face him a bit easier. "Tea didn't help, milk didn't help, boring tv didn't help." She looked to him when he started to stutter out a question before he seemed to get himself together somewhat and asked her if she'd like to sleep in his bed that night. She gave him a soft smile before she nodded. "That'd be nice." She spoke softly. She slowly slipped out of the makeshift bed, taking the top blanket to wrap around her as she followed him up the steps.

She was still somewhat cold in her shorts and tank, but normally she had a bunch of blankets on her bed she'd curl up under. She let him lead her to his room before she smiled and crawled into the bed beside him. "I'm guessing you're having a hard time sleeping to?" She asked curiously as she lay on the soft bed beside the dark haired vampire that'd saved her and snuck into her thoughts so many times during the day. She liked it though. He made her feel secure and safe…especially after saving her that day. She snuggled close to him and lightly rested her head down on his chest as she lay there for a few moments letting her body relax. She knew at least this time they wouldn't wake up to Annie and Tom giggling at them.

Hal tried to ignore the fact that they were probably going to wake up with Annie and Tom laughing at them. He knew they would. But for whatever reason his brain couldn't yet come up with, he didn't mind. Well, not as much as he normally would have, that was. He wasn't thinking about the way he might tear out her throat, not this time.

And it was nice. It felt human - almost.

"Yes, I was having quite a difficult time sleeping, too. I was going to polish the teaspoons and re-organize the cupboards if the restlessness persisted." Hal stated quietly. Keep busy, keep safe. That was how he lived. Until Alycia had moved into the house next-door. She hadn't even been there for a month, yet already she had started to shake up his life. His list was left half uncompleted almost every day because of her, and sometimes that worried him.

But that didn't keep him from letting her rest her head on his chest. Just having her breathing beside him was enough to lull him into a tired state - that was quite curious, and probably had something to do with the way he felt for her.

Laying down on the bed with Hal, Alycia slowly felt herself drifting off into a sleepier state. She snuggled into his body as she soon slipped off into sleep. "Sleep tight Hal." She whispered softly as she was soon fast asleep beside him on the soft bed. She knew she would probably have a hell of a time getting to sleep without him being there if this continued, but she liked it. She loved being able to sleep beside him. She could see a change in him little by little. He was loosening up just a bit and he seemed to smile more often. She loved seeing his smile she really did. Thankfully the night was uneventful as they slept side by side, a human and a vampire…fate wasn't done messing with either of them quite yet.


	20. Chapter 11 Ady

When Adrienne came back into the living room, the cat was no longer under the couch. Edgar was behind the chair, hidden in the long drapes - and if his tail (the only visible part of the cat) was anything to go by, he had puffed up near three times his size with fright. "Why's he hiding like that?" She asked, tilting her head.

"It's some eighties comedy movie." She gave a shrug as she sat on the couch. She'd forgotten the title of it; all she knew was that it had looked fairly interesting in the video store. When it came to movies, Adrienne was easy to please. She liked horror movies, Scy-Fi movies, classics - really, the only things that she couldn't stand were holiday movies. Her eyes flickered over to Mitchell when he asked if she wanted to get dinner that night, or maybe have a picnic the next day. "Well, I called and ordered pizza a few minutes ago - you could just stay, if you like." She was definitely not objected to having his company.

He chuckled seeing where the cat was hiding behind the drapes with his tail puffed up. He knew he'd really scared the crap outta that cat and George would get a good laugh about it later…but for now he didn't want to be hit so he just shrugged when she asked why her cat was hiding. He moved to sit on the couch with her as she told him what kind of movie it was. "Ah, that sounds like it could be fun." With how old he was he honestly did prefer the older movies. He sat down on the couch with her and asked her about dinner or a picnic the next day. "Alright, so pizza tonight, a picnic tomorrow. I'll even cook the food for it." He gave her a grin as they settled down to watch the movie.

During the movie he let his arm fall over the back of the couch behind her. It was both habit and a way to be a little closer to her. She was different. Way more different than any girl he'd ever met. Most girls it was: Make out, have sex, go their separate ways. Not with her. It had been weeks and he hadn't even kissed her yet. It could be because she was George's friend, or, what he thought it was, she was something more special than just a simple fling. Around her he felt somewhat normal again. "How's your head doing by the way?" He asked a little curiously. Nina had told her to tell her if she had any serious head pain in the next few days, there could be side effects of the hit that couldn't be seen at that very moment.

"Well, my brain hasn't leaked out, so I think its fine." Admittedly Adrienne had been getting headaches more frequently, but that was only after she hadn't had caffeine for a little while. She drank so much coffee on a daily basis that it messed up her sleeping schedule, and that tended to give her headaches even when she hadn't been bashed in the back of the head. But her headaches hadn't been bad, and so it was doubtful that they had anything to do with the head injury.  
The movie continued, the pizza arrived. Soon enough the mood was jovial, and Adrienne was covering Mitchell's face with a couch pillow because he wouldn't stop talking through a part of the movie that she wanted to see. "Shhhhhhh." The girl shushed him, because he knew very well what he was doing at that point.  
The cat had crept out from behind the chair and was under the couch again, so Mitchell should probably watch his ankles. Adrienne didn't see fit to warn him about it yet.

Mitchell chuckled at what she'd said to his question. "Awe, brain soup is the best." He teased her a bit as he sat down on the couch with her. He laughed when it came to a scene that she wanted to see but he kept talking through the scene even as she pushed a pillow into his face. He couldn't help but laugh teasing her a bit as he pulled the pillow down and placed a kiss on her wrist. He grinned at her putting his fingers to his lips; as if to say he'd be quiet….for now. It was too fun to tease her like this and she could always pause and go back to the scene if she wanted to. He felt human around her and it was addicting. He felt her damn cat by his ankles again and glared down at the couch. "Your cat isn't very fond of anyone is it?" He asked curiously before looking to the young woman he was sitting with.

As the hours passed for the movie, Mitchell helped her finish up the pizza as they were both relaxed on the couch. He grinned and played with her hair lightly as he took in her scent. "You think you're up for another movie? I probably will talk mostly through that one too." He couldn't promise anything but seeing her reactions and attempts to keep him quiet just made him laugh even more. This girl was really something special and Mitchell was going to make sure to protect her with his life…slowly but surely she was becoming his life.

"I don't quite understand the problem everyone has with Edgar." Adrienne commented when Mitchell asked about her cat. Honestly, the thing had never scratched her - and it was obvious that the way it hid under the couch and attacked people's ankles was a completely playful thing. She scoffed a little when he asked if she was up for another movie. "I didn't go out and rent five movies for nothing, honestly." If he was at all skilled in his stalking, he'd know that.  
Granted, she hadn't known at the time that she'd have him over to watch them with her.  
She got up off of the couch and put on the next movie, pressing the 'play' button before heading back over to the couch. This time she practically curled into his side, relaxing against him. "Another eighties movie, I think. Or really late seventies, I can't remember." At least she could deal with his taste in movies. She liked older films, even if the special effects were completely nonexistent.

Mitchell looked to her and raised his eyebrow. "That thing scratches people. I saw the scars on George. It's already swiped at me a few times." He spoke before she got up from the couch to put in the next movie. He leaned over the couch quickly and hissed quickly and quietly at the cat before moving back to his spot just as she moved back over to him and curled up against his side. He didn't mind at all as he wrapped his arm around her and looked to the TV as the movie started. "I'm sure I can tell you once it starts." He grinned enjoying the time with her. He was truly enjoying it….though he did feel his phone going off now and again, George asking him where he was, he would just respond. "I'm fine, she's fine." And that would be it.

The night continued to pass by as Mitchell enjoyed movie after movie with her, some he'd seen before so of course he'd talk through them with her. He teased her now and again by finding ways to pin her down when she tried to put the pillow in his face. Of course it was just playfulness around them. He lay back on the couch and gently rested his head against hers as the ending credits came for what he thought was the third or fourth movie. He couldn't remember now. He wasn't even really paying that much attention to them, though enough to ruin some very serious moments in them with making her laugh.


	21. Chapter 11 Aly

When the morning came Alycia was slowly woken up but at the same time she didn't want to get up. She was comfortable laying there with Hal and she just wanted to stay there a little longer. She adjusted herself a bit and wrapped her arm around his waist as she relaxed once more. She loved taking in his scent as she lay there beside him, somewhat awake but not willing to move yet. She wasn't even sure if he was awake yet or not, but she was happy to see that Annie and Tom weren't there giggling at them again. She hadn't noticed but during the night her shirt had squirmed up just a bit, not enough to actually _show_ anything, but enough to be noticeable.

Hal had woken before Alycia, but kept his breathing even so that he didn't wake her. He couldn't bring himself to, even though one of the first thoughts in his mind when he'd woken had been to push her out of the bed and run for the comfort of his list. He hadn't, of course, and she'd woken up peacefully enough. He could tell when the slow, steady beat of her heart changed just a little, along with the rhythm of her breath. Finally he turned his head to look at her, and he awkwardly cleared his throat when he saw that her nightshirt had ridden up just a little to expose some of her smooth skin.

He immediately reached over and tugged the shirt back into place. "I know that you're awake and I would like you to remove yourself from my person. I have things to accomplish today." And none of them were going to get done if she stayed that irresistibly close to him, he added in his mind.

Hal's patience nonexistent, he removed himself from the bed and stood awkwardly, looking down at her. "I need to get changed. I'm sure that Annie has breakfast waiting for you. Downstairs." He stressed the last word, trying to kick her out of his room without actually sounding as though he was.

The girl made his thoughts muddle and pool together until Hal could hardly thing, and it was one of the most annoying things - but yet he enjoyed it. It was dangerous, for her, and that he did not enjoy.

She heard Hal clearing his throat and knew he knew she was awake. She felt him tugging her shirt down a bit; she hadn't even realized it'd risen up in her sleep. Before she could even move he'd gotten out of the bed before speaking of Annie having food for her...probably downstairs. She knew that was the nice way of kicking her out of his room. "Thanks." She gave him a light smile as she climbed out of the bed and headed downstairs. She stopped in the bathroom and noticed just how dark the bruises had gotten around her throat during the night…she was glad she had at least a few scarves that could cover it for awhile… She made her way downstairs and smiled seeing Annie in the kitchen. "Good morning."

She was glad that she had Annie to talk to. There were times she needed a girl's advice and Annie was really good with that. Alycia sat down at the table before moving some of her hair from her face. "Do you want to come over later? I could use some girl time…to talk about some stuff that I'd rather keep between us." She needed to talk to her about Hal…and the feelings that she'd been feeling grow stronger and stronger. She was honestly confused and a little afraid by them. She didn't want to be hurt…well physically that'd already happened but not by him, but emotionally. She hadn't had the best of luck with guys and even though Annie was dead she could still give her some advice…she hoped.

Hal spent plenty of time in his room. He felt like a woman, the way he was picking up shirts and then tossing them aside because they didn't go with his trousers or because they didn't fit just how he wanted them to. The only reasonable explanation for what he was doing was that Alycia was downstairs, and it would be a lie to say that he didn't want to look attractive in her presence.  
Well, of course he was attractive. Hal couldn't see himself in a mirror anymore, nor could he be photographed, and so it had been a long time since he'd seen his own face. But he knew that he was attractive.  
It sounded vain even in his head.  
He headed down the stairs after he was satisfied with the unstained shirt he had on, and made it to the last step just in time to hear Annie say, "Of course, girl time is always appreciated, especially in this house."  
Which probably meant that Alycia would be there while Hal was at work, or Hal and Tom would be kicked out so that the women could gossip and giggle and do whatever else females enjoyed doing.  
Or worse, it meant that Annie would be going over to Alycia's, and Hal and Tom would be left to babysit.

She smiled excitedly when Annie was ok with the idea of coming over for some girl time. "You could even bring Eve so the boys don't have to babysit her." She knew Hal didn't like it, but Tom loved the girl, she could tell just by the way he acted around her…very brotherly. She heard Hal coming down the steps before she smiled looking over to him. "Morning." She was sipping a cup of tea that Annie had given her. She moved some of her hair behind her ear knowing he was probably headed off to work soon. Part of her didn't want him to go…especially after what'd happened the day before, but she didn't want to seem like a bother to him. She played with the ring on her finger before she looked to Annie and thanked her for the tea. "I'm going to…go back home and get dressed after a shower."

She gave Annie a quick hug before she gave Hal a quick smile and headed back over to the house after collecting her clothes from yesterday. He was driving her insane. She couldn't even think straight anymore! She made it back into her house before she put her clothes in the wash and headed upstairs to collect her stuff for a shower. She hoped the hot water would help her relax and get her mind to stop thinking about Hal. She had no idea that she was going to have a surprise visitor when she was finished with her shower. She let her hair out of its braid that Hal had put it in for her the night before. "Damn it why do you have to be so confusing…" She mumbled to herself before she let out a sigh and turned on the water jumping into the shower to clean herself up trying to figure out what she was going to do about the feelings that if anything were growing stronger not weaker.

When Alycia had left, Annie had started talking to Hal. He ate a couple pieces of toast for breakfast and tried to ignore the ghost, but it wasn't working as well as he would have hoped.

"I think that you should go over there and tell her how you feel. Or just talk to her. You know, converse."

Hal rolled his eyes. "I am more than five hundred years old; I know how to converse with a woman. Just because I am in no mood to go over there and -"

Annie interrupted him. "She slept in your bed last night, and that generally means feelings are involved. Go over there-"

Now it was Hal's turn to interrupt. "Nothing went on! She could not sleep, which is understandable under the circumstances, and I offered her a bed! That was all!"

Annie's eyebrows rose. "I didn't say that something else went on." The now-suspicious look on the ghost's face was not one that Hal wanted to indulge in conversation. He rolled his eyes, gulped down the rest of his tea - he also cleaned and dried the mug before putting it away, because it was a routine - and then left the house. He didn't know what he was supposed to talk to Alycia about, but anything was fine as long as it meant staying away from a pestering ghost.

The vampire let himself into Alycia's house, seeing as though he'd already been invited in the first day he'd met Alycia, and it was convenient how those little things carried over. He heard the shower going but thought little of it, moving around the house somewhat akin to a stalker. Perhaps he should have announced his presence a little more loudly. He was not intentionally sneaking up on anyone.

Alycia let the warm water run over her body as she closed her eyes and cleaned up her hair. She made sure to get all the shampoo out of it before she used the body wash to finish up her shower. She had left the clothes she planned on changing into on her bed, underwear and bra included, yet hidden under her shirt. She finished cleaning herself up before she climbed out of the shower and wrapped the towel around herself tucking it in. She grabbed the extra towel she had and used it to start drying off her hair a bit. She hummed to herself as she opened the bathroom door and made her way into her bedroom. She hadn't even been paying attention to anything until she was in the room.

She moved the towel out of her face as she worked on drying her hair before she squeaked a bit seeing Hal in the room. She felt a deep blush come on quickly as she stood there…dripping wet from head to toe, the only thing covering her up was a towel. She wasn't exactly sure what to say at the moment and she was trying to get her brain to work to come up with something. "H-Hal?" She blushed a little bit before she stepped a little closer to where he was. "I'm guessing Annie drove you out of the house?" She had to admit he looked pretty damn sexy…ok yeah she liked him so shoot her, she couldn't hide it anymore and it was actually getting annoying trying to.

Hal should have seen that one coming. He'd heard the shower, why hadn't he waited in the living room? The kitchen, even? He could have even gotten away with the hallway!  
Now, Hal was more than five hundred years old. Of course he'd seen women naked before. He had not been any sort of an angel, and still wasn't. But already he could feel his face heating up in what he knew to be a blush, but he tried desperately to act normal. "Indeed. She would not stop her useless chatter." He was standing there and she was only in a towel. Was he staring? Oh, God, he was staring.  
"You - you're in a towel." Hal pointed out, folding his arms across his chest as if this was news to the both of them, even though it really, really wasn't. He was still staring. He knew that he was. It took him a very long time to pull his eyes away from her, and he stared now at the wall as if the less than professional paint job was the most interesting thing in the world.  
Paint could only be interesting for so long, and slowly his eyes slid back to her. They strayed to her neck, and he thought again about blood, but this time not for long.  
"You - ah - I had - I have today off of work and I'd come over here both because Annie was driving me mad and because I thought there might be tasks over here to accomplish. The teaspoons probably need polishing."


	22. Chapter 12 Ady

Finally the movie ended. There were still a couple left, but Adrienne was nearly falling asleep on Mitchell's shoulder at that point. "Well, now that you've sufficiently managed to disregard every serious moment in four movies, I'm off to bed." She said with a smile. She was tempted to press a kiss to his cheek, but decided against it.  
"You're welcome to stay, but Ceasar generally sleeps in my room and so the only company you'll have would be poor Edgar - and don't think I didn't see you hiss at him." The redhead's lips quirked up into a smile. Sure, maybe the cat had kind of deserved it, and maybe it was kind of amusing, but that didn't mean that she really wanted to admit it.

Mitchell watched as the movie ended and he looked to her as she was practically falling asleep against him. Now he wouldn't mind if she did, he'd be more than happy to be a pillow to her. He chuckled as she got up and explained that Ceasar slept in her room and he'd be stuck with that evil cat thing, but he knew just one hiss at it and it would be running for the hills again. He looked to her a bit surprised when she'd said that she had seen him hiss at the car. "He started it." He spoke defending himself but chuckling a little bit. "Sleep well Ady." He spoke her nick name hoping she'd be ok with him doing so. As she disappeared upstairs he let out a content sigh. He would have to make sure to get things set up for the picnic tomorrow if she was still up for it. It was Friday, probably the only reason she had been able to stay up so late.

He lay on the couch for a few moments after trying to make himself comfortable after he slipped his coat off of himself and let it rest on the back of another chair so the cat wouldn't destroy it. He used the pillow she'd previously tried to smother him with before as he lay there and just thought for a few moments. He let his mind somewhat wonder as he heard her moving around upstairs, probably getting ready to sleep. He could hear the dog moving around as well and smiled a bit. She was well protected…the dog would keep any humans away from her, while he would make sure no supernatural things tried to get to her.

Adrienne didn't sleep too long, though she probably should have. She'd stayed up late watching movies with Mitchell the previous night, and only four hours of sleep was really not going to cut it. But she wanted caffeine more than she wanted rest, and so she went downstairs to make coffee. She moved about quietly when she realized that the vampire was still asleep on her couch, and she had to pause to look around for Edgar. The fluffy Russian Blue sat stoic on the armchair, glaring over at Mitchell's sleeping form. Edgar never had liked visitors.  
Trying not to wake Mitchell turned out to be useless, because the first thing that Ceasar did when he trotted out of the bedroom was rush over to the man on the couch and sneeze in his face.  
Well, the dog was trying to be friendly, at least.  
"Morning, sunshine." The redhead said, trying not to show her amusement. It didn't really work. At all.

Mitchell had fallen asleep fairly quickly that night…even though the cat was glaring at him as he slept. He heard some slight movements and guessed that it was Ady coming down from waking up. Before he got a chance to even fully wake up himself, the dog sneezed in his face. In. His. Face. Mitchell took his sleeve and wiped his face off, not too thrilled about the dog drool and slime on his face…and now on his sleeve. "Really? That is…not exactly how I was planning on waking up." He groaned before looking to Ady as she TRIED not to look amused but he knew she was. "You can laugh, I probably would be laughing too had it happened to anyone else." He chuckled a bit shaking his head as he looked to the young woman standing in the kitchen.

He used the bathroom to clean up his face and did the best cleaning his sleeve before he made his way into the kitchen and gave her a smile. "Did you sleep well?" He knew she very well might be tired because she only got 4 hours of sleep. He didn't need sleep, but it was nice to sleep. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug before he kissed her hair. "At least I didn't wake up to the cat clawing up my face." He chuckled a bit pulling back after a moment. He wanted to keep holding her to him, but at the same time he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Adrienne nodded. "Fairly." She answered. She hadn't gotten much sleep, but what she'd gotten had been alright. Aside from the time Ceasar jumped on her bead and nearly crushed her in the process. But that was something that happened more often than she could count, anyway. She almost didn't want Mitchell to pull away from the hug he wrapped her in, but it would be weird if it lasted too long and she knew it.

"I'm sure he was thinking about it, if it's any consolation." The redhead teased him. Edgar probably had been going to attack Mitchell's face, but the dog had just gotten there first. She poured him a cup of coffee, having learned over the time she'd spent at his house how he took it - two sugars, no milk. "Here - there's hot pockets in the freezer, leftover Chinese food in the fridge, and brownies in the cupboard if you want breakfast." Her eating habits were less than desirable. Honestly, she either wasn't hungry or she was forgetting to eat. The latter tended to happen when she was working or reading a very good book.

Mitchell smiled and held her close to him for a moment longer before he pulled away and accepted the coffee she handed to him. "That wouldn't surprise me if that thing really was thinking about jumping on my face." He looked at the cat and glared back at it. The cat knew he would hiss back. He wouldn't scare the cat too badly…he knew Ady loved the cat even though it hated other people and he wouldn't do anything to make her mad at him because of her cat. He chuckled hearing what she said about what food she had. "Seriously? You need to eat healthier. Go ahead and get dressed, I'll treat you to breakfast and if you'd like you can help me prep the food for our picnic."

He knew the perfect place to take her too. It was isolated…well somewhat isolated so they could spend time alone there without having to worry about anyone overhearing their conversation, and it was by a lake, so it would be nice to be able to relax with her there. He looked to the young woman that was standing beside him before he gave her a smile. "There are a few cafes on our way back to the house, and I'm sure George and Nina wouldn't mind seeing you again, and maybe you can even meet our ghost Annie now that you've been exposed to well us." He chuckled a bit shrugging. "We've got a large enough blanket upstairs we can use when we leave." He spoke to himself with that last comment but gave her a smile anyway.


	23. Chapter 12 Aly

Standing in the bedroom in the towel, she felt her cheeks darken in a blush as Hal spoke stating that Annie had chatted him out of the house. "Translating meaning that she was teasing you." She spoke before he folded his arms over his chest after pointing out that she was in a towel. "Yeah…I just got out of the shower." She explained. Honestly she was a getting a little cold. She blinked hearing him explain that he had the day off of work and that he had come over because of Annie and….because he thought her teaspoons needed polishing…She wanted to smack her own forehead as she couldn't help but giggle hearing what he said. "Well, Hal you're welcome to go polish the teaspoons, they're in the kitchen. Can I get dressed now please?" She knew this was going to be a little awkward afterwards but at the same time she couldn't help but giggle a bit as he went to go polish the teaspoons.

She quickly threw on her clothes after drying herself off…and shutting the bedroom door. She blushed a bit as she brushed her hair out, wincing now and again when she ended up pulling out knots from her hair. She finished throwing on a cute red t-shirt and a pair of her favorite blue jeans. She slipped her flats on before she headed downstairs working on brushing her hair a bit more. She giggled seeing Hal actually in the kitchen. "Are you actually polishing them?" She asked curiously as she made her way over to where he was and was surprised. "You are." She giggled a bit looking to the dark haired vampire near her. He was….he was unique.

Hal worked feverishly to polish the silverware, trying to clear his mind. It wasn't quite working as well at it usually did, and his thoughts were still muddled together in the most annoying way. He heard footsteps heading down the stairs, but did not look up from his work until Alycia made her way over to him and asked if he really was polishing the teaspoons.  
"Was I not supposed to?" The vampire inquired. "The state of your cutlery is pitiful. There are more water stains than I'm able to rightfully count - do you even wash them regularly?" Of course he was just being mean, but in his own defense, he'd nearly seen her naked and he couldn't stop thinking about the way the water had been rolling from her hair over her shoulders.  
"I'm nearly finished, but I assume that the forks and tablespoons are in an equally shameful state." Hal was honestly glad for something to do. Occasionally he would become restless and his mind work overwork itself, and Tom would find something for him to do. Whether that be organizing the salt shakers in the diner, going through the cupboards and making sure that things were straight, or simply making sure that all of the matches in a matchbox were facing the correct way.

Alycia giggled seeing him working on actually polishing the silverware. She looked to him when he spoke and she playfully pouted when he'd spoken of how the condition of them was pitiful. "Ouch." She playfully put her hand to her chest as if she was actually hurt by what he said. "Yes I wash them thank you very much." She playfully tapped his shoulder before she loved to sit on the counter near him as he was working on polishing her silverware. She couldn't help but giggle. "Should I go next door and get your music for you? I wouldn't mind having it play as you…polish." She giggled and quickly ran next door getting the CD before she came back inside and put it on the stereo for him.

She took her spot back up on the counter as she watched him work on doing one spoon at a time before he moved to do the forks next and then the tablespoons. She smiled at him a bit before she got an idea. "Next week I go to pick up Emma, would you like to come with me?" She asked curiously as she rested her head back against the cupboard behind her. She had a feeling he was going to be over more often than not. Especially if he was so mean about her silverware not being up to par. She wanted to find a way to tell him how she felt about him, but without knowing how he felt, she didn't want to take the chance at ruining what friendship they had. But a bigger part of her wanted to tell him more than anything.

The music lightened Hal's mood even more than the polishing had. The embarrassment from the shower incident was all but forgotten as the classical tunes wafted through the air, and he even hummed along as he went on to the forks, then the tablespoons. He was starting on the knives when Alycia asked if he wanted to go with her to pick up Emma.

That made him freeze instantly, pause in what he was doing and stare at her. The first thought in his mind was that she was a fool for wanting him near a child. Him. A vampire. But the second one was that he would get to see Alycia smile - he liked seeing her smile, even though hell would freeze over before he would tell her that. Hal nodded after a long moment, the slightest of smiles tugging at a single corner of his mouth. "I would like that." He said simply, finishing the tablespoons and laying them back in the drawer, now completely organized. He also worked on the table knives and made sure that they were completely straight as he put them back into the drawer.

"Your counters are in a state that almost rivals the previous condition of your silverware. Off." Hal said, not hesitating to grab a rag so that he could wipe down the counters, even though they were nowhere near as dirty as he said they were.

She hoped that he would go with her to pick up Emma in the next week. When he agreed she couldn't help but smile excitedly. She watched him finish up the last of her silverware before he now insulted her counters. "You're just being mean today." She poked him in the chest as he ordered her off of the counter so he could clean it. She smirked deciding to be a little mean back to him "Make me." She smiled at him tilting her head to the side a bit. She knew she was in his way of cleaning the counters and she was curious to see if he'd actually make her move from the counter or not. She hoped it would be more than just shoving her off of the counter; she'd probably end up grabbing some flour and flicking at least some of it at him…if not dumping some on him.

She smiled looking into his eyes a little challengingly as she kept herself in her spot on the counter even though he'd grabbed a rag to clean up the counters. "If you like making sure things are organized I could totally get you a job at the pre-school after hours. We could always use help organizing things." She giggled knowing it was the truth, half the time it took a week to find something in those classrooms. And if she was there with him to make sure nothing happened, she was sure he'd thrive there.


	24. Chapter 13 Ady

"Yes, mom." Adrienne rolled her eyes when Mitchell told her that she needed to eat healthier. She got plenty of exercise, so she didn't really see a point in changing her eating habits. Though, admittedly, it would probably be better to change her eating schedule, because more often than not she skipped breakfast and forgot about lunch because she was working.  
She did head upstairs to get dressed, though, pulling on a pair of jeans and a top. She also did her makeup and pulled her hair into a braid so that it stayed out of her face. All in all it didn't take her too long to get ready, and she pulled on her shoes before heading down the stairs. "I'll help get stuff ready for our picnic, but I promise nothing by way of quality." She informed Mitchell. The things that she kept on hand as food should be insight enough to her culinary abilities. Hell, whereas George's cooking skills had flourished in three years, hers had either stayed the same or diminished.  
Case and point: The previous weekend she'd accidentally set a pot of ramen noodles on fire.

Mitchell couldn't help but chuckle when he called him 'mom'. He knew she was just being a smart ass. He grinned before he shook his head slightly and looked to the young woman as she headed upstairs. He hissed at her cat once more while she was up there before she came back down. "Well, I would be more than willing to teach you how to cook…so you don't burn anything." He spoke before he offered her his arm. He walked with her out of the house, letting her lock up before they headed off towards the café so he could first get her breakfast, and from there take her back to the home and prep their picnic supplies.

He walked into the café with her and held the door open for her. He found a seat with her and ordered some strawberry pancakes, that actually sounded really good at the moment. He grinned at her as he noticed some guys at the next table eyeing her in more of a sexual manner if anything. He glared and wrapped his arm around her pulling her a little bit closer to him before he kissed her hair, wanting to make sure they knew to back off. "What would you like to take on the picnic?" He asked her curiously as he stayed close to her.

"You can try. The last time my brother tried to teach me how to cook I set a grease fire in his kitchen." Adrienne said with a shrug. She wouldn't be opposed to spending time with Mitchell, though, and if that meant learning to cook then it was just another plus. Not that she'd tell him that. They walked into the cafe and sat down, and Adrienne looked up at him when he wrapped an arm around her. She did notice the guys at another table looking at her, but she had elected to ignore it.

"I'm not picky as long as you don't try to get me to eat carrots." Like a child, Adrienne was picky about her vegetables. She didn't like most green food - spinach and lettuce were okay, she liked peas, and green beans were out of the picture completely - and carrots were the bane of the girl's existence. She didn't much like celery, either, but she could tolerate it. Upon nearly every other matter she didn't care what she ate.

"Well, I may be a bit of a better chef." He chuckled walking into the café with her before he sat down with his arm wrapped around her. He glared at the guys before she spoke up against carrots. He couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head. "Don't like them I'm guessing?" He grinned before he placed in his order and then let her order her food. "Well, we could make some simple sandwiches, or we can make something hot and let it cool on our walk." He spoke looking to the girl that'd caught his attention so easily. "I'm sure if George wants to he'll take over cooking everything." He grinned a bit. He knew George would if he smelled something burning.

"I'm hoping that maybe I can teach you to cook without him shooing us out of the kitchen. If anything I'll give you a cooking lesson when he's not around." He chuckled before one of the guys made his way over to her and smirked. "Hey cutie, why don't you leave with a real man huh?" Mitchell glared at him but kept control of himself. He knew she wouldn't leave him for some random guy like some other girls would. He still wanted to knock the man's teeth in though…

Studies showed that testosterone levels were higher in the mornings, and Adrienne pondered over the possibility of that being part of the cause for this less than pleasant encounter. Unfortunately for the man that had walked over to the table, she'd grown up with two older brothers. She knew well how to get under someone's skin and insult their pride in their own gender. She didn't miss a beat with replying, "Sure, sweetheart, just point him out. Context clues would suggest that you mean yourself, but those jeans say otherwise." Of course she wasn't going to leave with anyone but Mitchell, but her insult did well enough without pointing that out.  
Adrienne wondered if this argument was going to last for long. Men didn't generally like being insulted, and couldn't often take it when she kicked them in the ego. Usually she found this sort of thing enjoyable, little meaningless arguments that made her view on people in general worsen, but at the moment it just seemed inconvenient.

Mitchell looked to Ady when she spoke insulting the man. He couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head while the guy just glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who the hell do you think you are you stupid little bit-" Mitchell had gotten up by then and put his hand at the man's throat. "You really want to finish that sentence?" He spoke seriously. He kept control of himself though and took a deep breath so he wouldn't be tempted to punch this guy in the face. Thankfully the guy's friends seemed to get his attention and they left without another issue. "That's what I thought." He shook his head before sitting down with her again.

"Sorry about that, I just don't appreciate when men call women that." He explained before he wrapped his arm around her once more. "While we're on our little picnic date, you can ask me anything you want and this time I will tell you anything. Now that I don't have to worry about keeping my secret from you." He chuckled a bit as he shook his head before he looked to her once more. She was truly impressive and he knew she had to be the one for him…he honestly never thought he'd be so lucky.

Adrienne raised her brows at Mitchell when he sat back down. Honestly? She understood why the man had run scared, but she simply couldn't see it. Nope. She didn't find Mitchell to be the least bit frightening - which probably spoke volumes about her mental health, considering the fact that she'd almost seen him kill someone several days prior.  
"That's oddly adorable." She said to him. She couldn't figure out why it was adorable, either.  
It had to be that accent or something.  
She couldn't help but smile when he said that she could ask him anything. By that point he had to know the leaps and bounds that her curiosity could take, so she did hope that he was ready for a very large quantity of questions.


	25. Chapter 13 Aly

Hal's brows rose when Alycia accused him of being mean. "Perhaps so, but it is hardly my fault that your counters are in dire need of a cleaning." His brows rose all the more when he heard the challenge in her voice. Make her? Did this girl realize that he was more than five hundred years old? That he'd led armies into battle, that he'd fought countless opponents seven times her size? Somewhere in this Hal found the tiniest glimmer of enjoyment, and he was not going to simply back down.  
"I would rather die a thousand deaths than go with you to that preschool." He said to Alycia - it was likely that if he showed up there again the woman behind the desk would call the police, anyway. He had threatened her with death. Twice.  
It wasn't the chores. He would thrive having things to do - but the children. Hal was by no means a child-friendly man, despite what Annie and Tom tried to make him out to be.  
When the girl still did not move, Hal's eyes narrowed. In a single fit of playfulness that happened perhaps once in a lifetime, the vampire scooped her up off the counter and tossed her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He was strong, and easily held her as he wiped down the spot she'd been occupying.

Alycia smirked a bit when she'd challenged him to make her move. "I'm not talking about DURING hours when the kids would be there silly; I'm talking about after hours when they're gone. The rooms are very disorganized afterwards and with your…organization fetish, I figured you'd thrive in helping us out." She smiled teasing him a bit before he narrowed his eyes at her when she didn't move from the spot she'd been sitting on the counter. She squeaked a bit when he scooped her up and tossed her onto his shoulder. "Hal you jerk!" She couldn't help but giggle as she was held upside down over the vampire's shoulder. She sighed and just rested her elbow against his back as she waited for him to put her back on her feet…well…that or the counter.

She hadn't actually thought that he would be playful like that but she wasn't fighting against it, and she was rather close to him. She decided to tease him a bit and grinned before she took her hand and smacked him right on his ass. She giggled at his reaction knowing she'd probably startled the hell out of the vampire which was hard to do with them. She couldn't help but giggle before she looked at the back of his head since she couldn't see his face. "That's what you get for holding me like I'm a sack of potatoes. I'm not." She decided to be bold and smacked his ass again; he actually had a very nice ass she noticed from this position.

Perhaps it would be smart for him to have something to do besides organize his own home and the cafe in which he and Tom worked. Maybe it would be good for him - but there was an equal chance that it would not be. There was an equal chance that something would get on his nerves, and being around people, children or not, would cause him to snap. He didn't know whether or not he wanted to take that chance.

Hal had managed to wipe down the counter quickly, but he was quite started by a slap on his rear. It took him a moment to process it, and once he had thought about just dumping her on the floor. Never - never - had a vampire been as degraded as that. Somehow, this was playful. Somehow it was funny, and Hal could not for the life of him figure out why he was not angry. He was about to point out that he was still holding her and could still drop her when she slapped his behind again.

Again.

Hal felt his face light up in what was probably varying shades of red, and he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Your counters are finished." He said, looking to make sure that she wouldn't hit anything on her way down before promptly dropping the female on the floor. Revenge was sweet. "Unfortunately, the floor is still a mess. Have fun getting the dirt off of your clothes."

There was no dirt, but he was going to pretend otherwise.

"You won't be around any kids I can promise you that, and you and I could be the only ones there except maybe the janitor." She explained as she was still over his shoulder before she smacked his ass and giggled when he seemed to freeze for a moment. So she did it again. She squeaked when he dropped her on the floor and playfully glared at him. "I know there's no dirt on the floor because I swept last night." She stuck her tongue out at him again before she giggled smiling at the black haired vampire. She got up off of the floor and dusted her clothes off before she looked to him once more. "Well, now that you've cleaned my silverware, which was clean in the first place, what would you like to do now?"

She looked to him again before she playfully turned towards the front of the kitchen. She looked out the window and noticed it was raining. She pouted a little bit but got an idea. "Come here." She smiled and gently took his hand before she led him towards the front door and outside. She hadn't even put on a coat yet herself but pulled him out into the rain before she turned to face him. "Come on, dance in the rain with me!" She held his hands in her own trying to get him to loosen up with her. She knew he could, especially after what'd happened in the kitchen.

"I polished your silverware. There is a very big difference and your ignorance towards the subject is perhaps the reason that the tools were in such a state." Hal shot back, his brows rising. At least she wasn't angry with him for dropping her on the floor. That would have been, well, a little displeasing. It probably would have sparked a 'well, you started it' argument.  
"Why?" Hal demanded when Alycia beckoned him over. He hardly managed to get over to the female when she'd grabbed his hand and started to pull him out the door. "What in the world are you doing? It's raining!" Hal wasn't scared of water, but that did not mean that he wanted to be soaking wet just because she fancied a little dance.  
The vampires eyes narrowed a little and he remained rooted in place. "I refuse to dance in this infernal weather." He said. The water was already soaking through his clothes and dripping off of his hair. He didn't quite understand what the appeal was in this.

Alycia pulled Hal out into the rain as she smiled at him when he shouted that it was raining. "I know." She giggled her hair already soaking wet from the rain as he stood rooted in place. She giggled and twirled around once in the rain. "Come on dance with me Hal." She giggled when he refused to dance in the rain. She moved to stand in front of him before she smiled and reached up as she gently moved some of his hair out of his face. She could feel the pulling towards him even stronger. She could tell he probably wasn't too happy with her for pulling him out in the rain, but he could always change into dry clothes when they were finished. "Hal…you are…one of the most interesting people I've ever met."

She decided it was either now or never. She prayed that he wouldn't reject what she was about to do. She leaned up and lightly placed her lips against his for a few seconds before she slowly pulled back, feeling her heart racing a bit faster in her chest. She couldn't believe she just did that! She just flat out kissed him in the rain! Ok yeah it was something she'd always wanted to do ever since she was a little girl, but she never thought it would be done with a vampire. She looked to Hal after pulling back as she lightly bit her lower lip hoping he wasn't pissed at her and thinking about storming off. She had no idea it was the complete opposite.

Hal nearly took a step back when Alycia pushed some of his hair out of his face, eyes narrowing down at her. How in the world - he was not odd! She was the one prancing about in whether that would likely cause her to catch cold. And then he'd be the one sentenced to making runs for chicken soup and tissues and whatever else humans needed for their drippy noses and sore throats.  
"That is likely because not many other beings are more than five hundred years old." Hal said, rolling his eyes towards the sky. The rain falling wasn't as bad as it had looked from indoors, but that did not at all mean Hal appreciated being soaked to the bone just because of Alycia's whim for dancing.  
It would have been a lie to say that he had not expected the kiss. Just before it came, he'd watched her lean up towards him, and he'd stood there and waited. He'd let her. And he was glad that he did. The kiss was soft, and it didn't last long, and it left Hal more than a little befuddled. But before he quite understood what he was doing he'd brought a hand up to cup the back of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss, this one longer than the last. Had Hal been what people at that time called 'sappy', he would have said something about butterflies making a next in his stomach. He felt the way passengers on months-long journeys across the ocean must have at the first sight of land ahead, and it was a feeling that he quite loved.


	26. Chapter 14 Ady

Mitchell chuckled looking to her when she raised her eyebrows at him. "What?" He asked curiously. He explained that he didn't like when men called women that so he defended her. He wasn't used to be called adorable, but if it was her saying it then he'd happily be called adorable. "Thanks?" He chuckled a bit as he ate breakfast with her once it arrived before they walked to the store to get the supplies they needed for the meal. "Hm. I'm thinking we can bring something hot and cold so it'll be cooled by the time we get there." He explained with a smile before getting what they needed for the meal at the house. He also picked up a few extra…having a feeling they very well may burn lunch on accident and he wanted to have a back up set of food in case that did happen.

Once they arrived back at the house he walked in with her before looking around the place and seeing that George wasn't there, or was Nina, and he guessed that Annie was upstairs. "Hey Annie? I brought Ady with me, I'm not sure if she can see you quite yet but it wouldn't hurt to see if she can." He spoke making his way into the kitchen as he put down the food and got the pots and pans they may need. "Wish us luck we're going to uh…we're going to attempt to cook." He chuckled a bit looking to Adrienne as he offered her his hand to pull her into the kitchen and put an apron on around her.

"I'm warning you - I tend to start things on fire without meaning to." Adrienne said to Mitchell, just making sure that he was well aware of what was probably going to happen. When they had aprons on, the cooking started. Things were fine when she was the one chopping things - she managed not to cut herself or anything, so that was most definitely a plus - but when it came to using the stove, things became a little iffy. Ingredients were set on every available surface; pots were moved to make way for other ones.  
"Isn't it supposed to be on medium heat?" Trying to decipher the instructions in the cookbook was like trying to read Sanskrit with no former training. When she and Mitchell gathered to read through the directions one more time, the stuff on the stove caught on fire. It went completely unnoticed until the smoke alarm went off.  
Well.  
She had warned him.

Mitchell smiled hearing her warming. "Warning heard." He chuckled wrapping the apron around her before he tied it for her and kissed her cheek before he got himself one as well. They started following the instructions before the food started getting on the stove. When they had made it to where the food was cooking, they looked through the directions once more, trying to figure out what step they were on, where they were supposed to go…neither of them realizing the food they made was actually burning. Mitchell blinked looking to the stove just as George bolted into the house with Nina on his heels. The scene had to be pretty funny to watch.

George stood by the kitchen door, his mouth open but no sound was coming out except little squeaks now and again. Finally after a few moments he seemed to find his voice again. "Both of you OUT!" George quickly rushed them out of the kitchen before he quickly got rid of the food that was burnt down the sink and sighed gathering new sets of dishes and getting the supplies set up himself. "I'll take care of this!" He quickly got the food on the stove and got it cooking while he worked on cleaning up the mess that had been left by Mitchell and Ady. Nina was in the living room and couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Sometimes I really do feel that he's more of the woman in the relationship."

Adrienne and Mitchell were hardly out of the kitchen before George was acting like the Tasmanian Devil again, whirring about the kitchen and cleaning up the mess that the duo had previously left. "At least he didn't have an aneurism." The redhead offered, shrugging when Nina said that sometimes she thought George was the woman in that relationship.

Well, with his extreme hygiene, tact in the kitchen, and ability to weep at sad commercials on the television, yeah. George probably was the woman in that relationship. The house was near completely filled with smoke, which made it obvious why George had rushed inside so quickly. It had only been a single pot of food that had caught near on fire, but it somehow managed to fill the entire place with the smell of burnt food.

"He's not going to have a breakdown, is he?" The redhead questioned when a squawk was heard from the kitchen.

Mitchell watched as George took off into the kitchen to clean up. Nina shrugged a bit as she sat on the couch to chat with the girl a bit. Hearing George squawk in the kitchen she couldn't help but laugh. "He just might. You guys ruined some of his favorite pots. He gets...very attatched to them." She explained with a roll of her eyes. "YES! IT'S NOT RUINED!" George hollered from the kitchen as he cleaned out the dish that was burnt before he poked his head out of the kitchen long enough to look at Mitchell and Adrienne. "She is no longer allowed in our kitchen. Ady, I love you; you know that, but just…no." He sighed mumbling about how someone can catch fire to simple food in a pan.

After a little while they seemed to finally get everything all cleaned up. Mitchell collected the supplies he would need for the picnic with her, including a basket and a large blanket that would easily fit both of them. He also brought some pillows should they want to lay on it; sometimes it was nice to have something soft for your head. He let George put everything in the basket the way he wanted it to be. "Thank you George." He smiled at his friend who nodded and paused for a moment. "Please, I'm begging you…don't' eat her ok?" Mitchell just chuckled. "Ok, I promise." He looked to Ady with a smile before he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Well, I didn't expect him to become attached to pots. That's new." That was one thing, at least, that had not existed three years prior. Mostly because George was a terrible cook when she'd known him, so they'd gotten along swimmingly in the kitchen - once they'd tried to bake something and ended up shouting at each other. Of course, they'd both been wrong about how to do it.

After George asked Mitchell not to eat her, Adrienne and the vampire left the flat and turned down the sidewalk. She took his arm when he offered it to her, strolling with him. She didn't know where they were going; he was the one leading the way to where ever the spot was he'd picked out. Eventually they'd ended up at a lake; one located a relative distance away from town. It was quiet, and she liked that. It was also fairly warm out, all things considering, and it wasn't long before they'd set up the blanket on the perfect spot and sat down.

Mitchell chuckled waving to George before he left with her, letting her accept his arm when he offered it to her. The lake was a bit out of town, but it was nice and quiet. He helped set up the blanket with her under a large tree to keep them in the shade but still somewhat in the sun as well. It was somewhat cloudy but nothing serious like rain. He took a seat before he gave her a smile. "George is uh…well he's afraid I'm going to try and eat you." He chuckled a bit. "He didn't even ask where I was last night if you can believe it. And yeah he gets pretty protective of his dishes. When Annie was learning she could move things, when she was upset dishes would go flying everywhere. Poor George I wasn't sure if he was having a heart attack because of Annie doing it or because his dishes were being flung around."

He leaned back against his arms before he looked to her and gave her a smile. He knew she was probably bubbling with questions and he was curious to see what was on her mind. "So, anything special you'd like to ask me?" He asked her curiously as he leaned his head against his hand and chuckled a bit. He sat up long enough to help her get the food together before he took a bite of the food that George had made…that they were supposed to make but it didn't end up that way. "Well, at least he's a good cook. I think if he wasn't we'd both be dead by now." He knew how to cook like quick throw in the microwave or oven things. Not this stuff quite yet.

Adrienne shrugged when Mitchell told her what George was worried about. It was a reasonable fear, she supposed, but not one that was valid - at least not now. If Mitchell had been going to drink her dry, he'd had plenty of opportunities to do so already. She couldn't help but laugh a little when he mentioned Annie just learning how to move things with what could only be considered ghost abilities, and she imagined George's face when his dishes were being tossed about. He'd probably made a few squeaking noises then, too.  
"Oh, plenty of things." She was waiting to pounce on him with her questions. She did have a lot of them, after all. There was one that would, however, shape the rest of her questions. "So, how old are you, exactly?" She didn't know if he was touchy on the subject of age. Usually it was women that were like that, not men, but she didn't know if vampires got iffy when they were asked, too. There was so much that she didn't know about him and wanted to.


	27. Chapter 14 Aly

Aly could only hope and pray that Hal wouldn't be mad at her for what she'd just done. What surprised her was when she felt his hand cupping the back of her neck as he pulled her in for another kiss. She blinked surprised for a moment before she closed her eyes and kissed him back as she gently rested her hands on his chest as their lips stayed connected longer this time. She could feel her body tingling slightly as she'd finally kissed the man that had taken her heart practically since the first day she met him. She gently moved to wrap her arms around his neck playing with his hair slightly as the kissed in the rain, the rest of the world dead to them for those few special moments. When the kiss Ended, Alycia slowly opened her eyes as she looked up at Hal gently running her fingers through his soaking wet hair. "Wow." Was all she could get out.

*back in the bed and breakfast*

Annie was trying to peer out the window to see if Hal and Aly were doing what she thought they were doing. "Damn it those stupid bushes are in the way!" She grumbled before she managed to peer through some leaves through the window and squealed excitedly. "Awe they are!" she giggled looking to Tom who was holding Eve who was just relaxing in his arms. "They kissed! Their first kiss! I'm so proud of Hal! I knew bugging him about her would get him to admit he cared for her sooner or later." Annie smiled brightly very proud of herself that she had a hand in what was going on outside the window.

Hal could not remember ever feeling that close to someone before. He was more than five hundred years old; the memories that stuck with him most were the kills he'd made, the screams he'd caused. In more than fifty-five years he had not kissed anyone, and the reintroduction to it was quite nice indeed. "The wording is terrible but I suppose that the sentiment behind it is a compliment." Hal said when Alycia's only reaction to their kiss was a 'wow'. Somehow that was much better than how he was reacting, and though he was inclined to agree, he could not bring himself to say it.  
His forehead rested against hers, and his hand did not leave the back of her neck. As he looked down at her his brain tried to form a sentence, a statement, but all the vampire could do was smile. Actually smile. That was something that did not happen all too often now.  
Of course it only lasted for a moment.  
"You're going to catch cold if you stay out here any longer, you foolish girl."

"Did 'e really?" Tom asked, gently bouncing the contented baby in his arms. "I thought he was goin' to chicken out." But he was almost grinning, too. Tom was unmistakably proud of his friend. "Is it really a good idea to be spyin' on 'im out the window, though?"

Alycia had never fallen for someone like she'd fallen for Hal. She giggled at what he said before she looked into his eyes. "Well what would you have said?" She asked curiously as she felt him rest his forehead against her own as he looked down at her, his hand on the back of her neck, their eyes still locked as she had her warms wrapped around his neck. She knew he cared about her…how deeply she wasn't sure, but she knew there was potential there. She gave him another soft peck on the lips. "We probably should head inside. If you'd like you can grab some clothes from the house and stay with me for awhile. I can throw our clothes in the dryer." She spoke softly as the rain continued to fall around them.

She pulled away long enough to make her way towards the house with him. She had to wonder where they stood now. Were they together? Were they still friends? She would have to ask him that when she got him back over at the house. She walked into the house where Annie and Tom were, she smiled seeing Annie in the kitchen. Girls knew just by looking at each other if the other was spying. She didn't say anything but she did give Annie a knowing look as she just smiled back at her. She could tell that Annie really was happy for them. "Got caught in the rain?" She asked with a bit of a giggle as Aly waited for Hal to change out of his wet clothes so she could go back next door and do the same and just throw the clothes in the dryer.

Hal liked that idea. It was all the more time that he wouldn't have to deal with Annie and Tom and the way they disturbed his routines - not that Alycia was any better in that aspect, but if someone was going to mess up Hal's list, he would much rather it be Alycia than anyone else. Besides, there was little left to organize in the bed and breakfast, and so it was either be stuck in his room re-organizing the bookshelf for the fifth time that week or be over at Alycia's, probably doing something that actually needed to be done. Like wiping out the cupboards.

Besides, his classical music was over there, anyway.

"It was more akin to being pushed out into the rain." Hal said simply as he walked up the stairs to go get changed. He knew that he was thinking of many, many excuses to go over to Alycia's - but the only reason he was actually going was that he wanted to.

Once the vampire had changed into dry clothes and tossed his own in the dryer - Annie had been running the wash anyway, so it was convenient - he walked back down the stairs and grabbed his coat.

"What?" The vampire paused in his steps and moodily demanded of Tom, who only grinned at him.

"You di'n't chicken out."

God damnit.

Alycia waited for Hal downstairs as she playfully stuck her tongue out at him when he walked upstairs. She moved her hair over her shoulder, still dripping wet, accepting the towel Annie handed her so she could at least dry herself partly so she wasn't dripping everywhere. She giggled when Annie pulled her into the kitchen for a moment. "So, did he?" Alycia nodded with a smile. "Oooh I'm so happy for you!" she giggled hugging the girl before Hal headed downstairs. Aly made her way back over to him hearing Tom speak and blushed knowing he'd seen at least heard from Annie, what'd happened.

"Good thing you're coming over huh?" She teased him a bit with a giggle as she walked with Hal over to her house after waving to Annie and Tom. She quickly headed upstairs to change before she got sick. She threw on a long sleeved shirt and actually put on a hoodie to warm up too and her comfortable yet warm sweats. They were cute too. She figured Hal wouldn't mind them. After all jeans didn't keep a human as warm as sweats did. She made her way back down the steps and smiled seeing him already in the kitchen. "So, I'm guessing you know they saw?" She asked curiously looking to the vampire that was pulling things out of her cupboards. She honestly wasn't going to fight him when it came to organizing SOME of her stuff.

Hal glanced over his shoulder at her from where he was pulling cups and mugs out of the cupboard. They went on the counter, one by one, all neatly organized for the moment he would want to put them back where they were supposed to be. "With the look on Annie's face it would be entirely difficult not to guess at what she was speaking of. I am not that thickheaded, whatever you might like to believe." The mugs were placed on the counter, the handles all pointing diagonally in the same direction.

When the cups and mugs were out, Hal busied himself with grabbing the rag by the sink and using it to wash out the inside of the cupboard, even though it probably wasn't at all dirty. "Are you cold?" He asked, noting that she was wearing sweats. He was starting to think that she would look beautiful in anything; because he had never before been attracted to a human when they dressed like that. "Are you starting to catch a cold? I did tell you that you were going to get sick from that rain, and now you probably have." Now he was just avoiding the subject of their kiss, but he couldn't help it, his voice was lighter, his mood a little better.

"Awe now I never said you were thickheaded." She giggled teasing him a bit as he moved to clean up the cupboards with the rag from earlier. She heard what he asked her about being cold. "A little." The house wasn't the warmest thing in the world so yeah of course she was a little cold, but she did her best not to let it show. She giggled when he asked if she was starting to catch a cold. "Hal, I won't know for a few days if I'm catching a cold or not, and we didn't stay out there for longer than what, five maybe six minutes?" She giggled knowing he was worried about her. "Besides, I liked what happened in the rain." She felt a light blush hit her cheeks. She really did enjoy her kiss with him.

"You are…actually a really good kisser. I was surprised." She giggled knowing she'd probably get some kind of reaction from that. "I'm not saying I thought you'd be a bad kisser or anything, you just don't seem like the type of guy who would be kissing just anyone." She tried to explain hoping it sounded better than it did in her head. She slipped up onto the counter again to watch him as he worked on organizing her things. She honestly didn't mind, if it kept him over there with her, she'd happily find ways to mess things up to keep him there. She swung her feet lightly as he seemed to be in a better mood.

"That's incorrect. You should know by the end of the day whether or not you've come down with a cold. What you should do is make yourself a cup of tea and put another pair of socks on." Hal scoffed a little, cleaning the top shelf in the cupboard with the rag before starting to put the cups back. The glasses went on one side, mugs on another. The taller ones were in the back and the shorter in front. It didn't take long for him to put them all back, handles turned in the correct fashion, and then he closed the cupboard before moving onto the next one. This one was filled with plates and he put them on the counter where the cups had been before he'd gotten them all sorted.  
The vampire paused for a moment when the woman said that she'd been surprised by his ability in kissing. That rather sounded like an insult to his ears, and he looked over at her with an expression of indignance. "You are the first human that I have kissed in more than fifty-five years. It didn't end up so well for the others." He said, hoping for some sort of reaction. He didn't know if he meant to frighten her a little or to shock her, but either was better than thinking that he was some sort of celibate monk. It was just that handling his condition took more care - he could hardly be near a woman without listening to her pulse and wanting to snap at her throat, and that wasn't exactly great for a love life.  
With Alycia, he worried even more about it. Because he actually cared.


	28. Chapter 15 Ady

Mitchell relaxed on the blanket with her as they ate some of the food and he told her about when Annie learned about her abilities. That had been a very…actually scary time for them because she couldn't control her powers and they were strong! He looked to the young woman when she spoke, asking about how old he was. "Oh you're going to think I'm an old man." He chuckled. "Probably gonna run away from me too." He grinned teasing her a bit. He knew she wouldn't mind, if she did, she wouldn't be with him now. "I'm 117 years old." He spoke seriously looking to her curious about her expression at his age.

He moved to lay his head on her lap as he continued to answer questions for her, letting her know just about anything she wanted to know. Some of the things were a little harder to talk about, but he did because he knew he could trust her. He smiled getting a bit of an idea that he wanted to do. He looked towards the lake for a few moments debating on doing what he planned on doing…then deciding what the hell, it was warm enough they wouldn't get too cold, and they'd dry pretty quickly. He sat up, picked Ady up in his arms and took off for the lake with a grin on his face.

"Oh, wow, you are an old man." Adrienne said. She was most definitely going to mock his age from that point onward, but, no, it didn't particularly bother her. She had recently learned that one of her friends was a werewolf. And she hadn't thought that Mitchell was a terribly new vampire, anyway. She was past the point of being bothered by something like his age. When he lay his head on her lap she threaded her fingers through his curly hair, continuing her questions. She gave him time to answer them even if she was a generally impatient girl. She asked him things about his past, about his life, about everything she could think of - of course, the most amusing question out of the bunch was as to whether or not he'd had an afro in the seventies, because his hair was quite curly.  
She was taken by surprise when Mitchell scooped her up off the ground and started heading for the lake. For a single moment she was confused, then realization dawned on her and she tried to squirm away before he reached the water.

Mitchell chuckled when she'd said that he was old. "Ouch, ouch." He teased her a bit as he told her about his past. He laughed at her questions about his style back in the majorly historical years. Thankfully no he hadn't had an afro. He wasn't into that kind of stuff even if his hair was curly. He chuckled as he picked her up and took off for the water with her in his arms. He held her tightly as he jumped off into the lake and soon the water splashed around the both of them. He carried her up to the surface with him before he popped out of the water with her laughing.

He could tell she was pissed at him but just to see the look on her face, it was all worth it. He chuckled and before she could yell at him too much he leaned forward and placed a kiss against her lips. It was a gentle sweet kiss, but their first kiss none the less. He held her close to him before he slowly pulled away from the kiss and gave her a smile, both of them dripping wet from the water. He knew she couldn't be mad at him after a kiss like that.

Adrienne had come up cursing. Her language got bad when she was annoyed, and this was no different. She found quite a few things to call him as they surfaced, now dripping wet. "You stupid motherf-" and that was when he kissed her. Adrienne wasn't a girl that generally liked clichés. She wasn't one prone to twirling her hair or fluttering her eyelids, she didn't like romance novels, she cursed like a sailor. But when they kissed she swore that butterflies had taken up a home in her stomach. Even though she was supposed to be mad at him she kissed him back, and when they parted she still could not find it within her to shout at him.

It took a lot to render Adrienne speechless, but he'd managed it. For a moment, anyway, until she realized that her half-white top had become sheer with the water and that her mascara was running. "You're a jerk."

He laughed as she started calling him names before he moved to kiss her softly as he held her body close to his. He loved that she wasn't like the other girls he'd met. She cussed, she didn't like the gooey gushy romance movies, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. He smiled gently stroking her cheek gently after he'd pulled back from the kiss. He grinned when she didn't say anything. He had noticed that the white in her top had become see through and it was very obvious what kind of bra she had on. He just chuckled when she called him a jerk. "Oh you know you love it." He swam towards the edge of the lake. He climbed out with her and lead her back up to the blanket.

"At least this place isn't too populated. I wouldn't have done that if it was." He grinned and offered her his coat to put on over her shirt for now so she could cover herself until her shirt dried out. He had to admit he was pretty happy with that extra bonus that'd happened with her shirt. He chuckled a bit before he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Your expression was pretty funny when you realized what I was doing." He couldn't help but laugh pulling her close to him again. "You looked like a cat trying to get away from a bath tub."

Adrienne scoffed when Mitchell mentioned that she loved it - well, yeah, she kind of did. Otherwise she wouldn't have stuck around him that long. Had she not liked him, she wouldn't have spoken with him unless it was absolutely necessary or she wanted an argument. She climbed out of the water and headed back to the blanket with him, her wet clothes clinging to her body. Moodily she accepted the coat from him and slipped it on, though it was much, much too big on her.

She tried not to smile when he kissed her cheek. "It was not!" She denied when he said that she'd looked like a cat trying to get away from a bathtub. "Obviously you need to get your eyes checked." The redhead scoffed. She tried not to be too terribly amused by the way his curly hair sprung up even when wet, but it made her smile all the same. A lot of things about Mitchell just made her smile, and that was one of the most annoying things in the world when she was trying to be upset at him.

He grinned hearing her scoff as he lead her back up to the blanket. He laughed when she denied that she'd looked like a cat getting away from water. "You did." He grinned before she scoffed at him again. He knew that she wasn't as upset at him as she was trying to make it seem like she was. She was just playing and he knew it. He chuckled and sat down on the blanket with her once more in the sun. He moved to lay his head back on her lap as she smiled at him. He knew she couldn't stay mad at him too horribly long. "You had to admit that was fun." He chuckled a bit before he took her hand and kissed her wrist softly.

He continued like that with her for awhile, enjoying the sunny weather and the chance to just spend some one on one time with her. He would hear his phone go off with George calling to ask him if everything was ok. He would answer with "is this an emergency?" If not, he'd hang up. He wasn't going to let George ruin his time with her, he finally got her alone…without her cat to interrupt them, he was going to take advantage of it.


	29. Chapter 15 Aly

She giggled when he scoffed at her. She did quickly grab a pair of socks and her slippers though before taking her spot back on the counter watching him now work on the plates she had. "Well then I'm very proud of you Hal." She smiled brightly before he spoke and she knew he was trying to scare her but it wasn't going to work. She got up from her spot and moved so she was standing behind him. She moved to gently rest her head against the back of his shoulder for a moment. "I'm not scared of you Hal." She spoke seriously looking to him when he turned around to look at her. She looked at him completely serious. "I know you're a vampire, but I also know that you wouldn't hurt me. If you were going to, you've had plenty of chances to."

"And you saved me from being killed by those other vampires. That's enough for me to trust you and know you have control over yourself. And if there's anything I can ever do to help you, please let me know." She spoke softly before she gave him a soft kiss beside his lips. She wanted to make sure that he knew that she was there for him, that she was going to continue to be there for him. She…she knew she loved him and wanted to be there with him, even through his struggles with blood. She knew he had a stronger will than most people she'd met in her lifetime.

Hal wondered why in the world she was proud of him. Because he hadn't kissed anyone in more than fifty-five years? No, no, you fool, he told himself. It was the not butchering anyone for their blood in more than fifty-five years. That was what she meant. When he set a stack of plates down onto the counter and turned to face her, she was standing behind him. Of course he'd heard her walk over there, and he could hear her pulse. He didn't think too hard about it, this time. Perhaps that was because her words distracted him.  
'I'm not scared of you, Hal.'  
"That is perhaps the most foolish thing that I have ever heard come out of your mouth." He said, brows raising just a little bit. He did, however, listen to her reasoning. He wanted to point out that just because he'd saved her from the other vampires didn't mean that he couldn't snap and kill her. How did she know that he wasn't just feeling a little possessive over someone who could have easily been his next meal?  
His stomach twisted into a knot when he thought of even the possibility that he could one day hurt her, and that was one of the reasons he knew that he had to keep her safe.  
"You can keep leaving the cutlery unpolished. It'll give me something to do. That would help."

She looked up at him when he turned to face her. She didn't care if he thought she was foolish for saying she wasn't scared of him. She wasn't in all honesty. "I'm not going to lie. I'm not scared of you." She spoke softly before she lifted her hand up to gently place it on his cheek. "You have more control over yourself than you know." She spoke gently before he spoke telling her she could leave the cutlery unpolished to give him something to do. "Ok, I'll do that." She smiled and cleaned up giving him a soft kiss on the lips again. She let the kiss linger a bit more than the first time she kissed him before she pulled back slowly.

"Do you want to stay over here tonight? My bed's plenty big enough to fit both of us." She was sure he knew that since he'd been in her room before when she'd come out of the shower. She was curious as to what he was looking at when he'd been in there but she didn't bother with it now. She wrapped her arms around his waist for a few moments and just hugged him. She knew things were changing between the two of them little by little; but she liked it, she knew the change was for the better.

Hal didn't quite believe that he had more control over himself than he knew - the more likely situation was that he had less control over himself than either of them knew, and it would be proven at the worst possible time. Somehow it was nerve-wracking and comforting at the same time to know that Alycia was not afraid of him.

At least she was going to leave the silverware unpolished. Not that there would be any major changes made to do that, but he'd like to think that it was specifically because he asked her to.

Hal welcomed her kiss, reaching out to rest his hands on her waist. He didn't pull her closer, just kept her there. He liked it when she was near him, when he was distracted enough not to think about the crimson liquid rushing beneath her skin. "If you will allow it. It will be more troublesome than anything else to head back to the bed and breakfast when Annie is being ornery." He rolled his eyes as if this was one of the most annoying things in the world, but, really, he was used to it by that point. Or he was slowly getting used to it. At least if he stayed over with Alycia, he wouldn't have to deal with a baby crying in the middle of the night.

While Hal did not immediately hug back, after a moment he put a single arm around and let her remain close to him.

"I cannot clean out the cupboards with you attached to me like this."

She loved that Hal let her be close to him. As she gave him the soft kiss she pulled back after a moment before he spoke, agreeing to stay the night there. "If I wasn't going to allow it I wouldn't have asked silly." She poked him on the nose lightly before she moved to hug him for a few moments. She heard what he said and just smiled a bit. "They can wait a few more moments." She kissed his cheek before she pulled herself away and let him do as he needed to, to finish up the cupboards.

Once that night came around, Alycia changed into her pajamas in the bathroom before making her way towards the bed. She plopped down onto the top of the blankets and put in Hal's CD in the stereo in her bedroom next to the bed. She smiled turning to Hal when he came into the room. She was glad she'd be able to curl up next to him that night and sleep peacefully. She looked out the window and saw the rain had picked up heavily and was now pounding against the windows. She was honestly glad she hadn't pulled Hal out into that sort of weather. She slipped under the soft blankets before moving over so there was plenty of room for him. "Come on." She saw him organizing some of the things on her dresser and she tried not to smack her forehead. "Hal. Those will be there in the morning."

Perhaps the routines had finally gotten into Hal's head and now they were no longer to pass the time, but simply because they were things that needed to be organized. 'Keep busy, keep safe' was a rule that he had lived with for so long that it had become engrained into him that he had to organize, clean, pretty much do anything to keep himself occupied. And was it really his fault that the things on her dresser were less than straight.

Hal's eyes flickered over to her when she said that they would be there in the morning. "And if I do not correct them, they will be out of place in the morning." He said to her, raising his brows. Admittedly his eyes drifted a little to the pajamas that she'd put on, and his lips thinned as he thought about telling her to go put on more clothes. Needless to say, the ones she was wearing inspired less than appropriate thoughts.

Which was why he went to organizing the things that she had on every other available surface in the room before he finally made his way to the bed, resigning himself for a long night of trying to push thoughts out of his head.

He'd probably fail, but at least he was going to be decent enough to try.

To sort of try.

To try a little bit.

Come on, he was more than five hundred years old, he should have been so much better at his.


	30. Chapter 16 Ady

It had been a while since Adrienne had been so relaxed. No, she wasn't someone constantly worried about the supernatural or other things, but she tended to let herself over think on so many subjects and that led to being a little worried about everything on a daily basis. She wasn't a nervous wreck or anything, but it took a bit to get her to relax. Mitchell seemed to do that so, so easily.

She found it ridiculously amusing every time George called to make sure that things were going well. Every time Mitchell would pick up the phone and ask if it was an emergency, and if not, he'd hang up. She rather liked that. George probably didn't. Every time a question for him popped into her head, she'd ask. Some of them were simple little things about his likes and dislikes, others were a little larger, about his past and his life. As they talked she played with his hair, looking down at him. Nope, she still could not be mad about the lake.

Mitchell wasn't normally able to get himself to relax so much. He looked to the young woman he now had his head resting in her lap as she asked questions, sometimes little ones, other times bigger ones. He answered them all honestly, knowing that if he was going to scare her away he probably would've done that a long time ago. He gently ran his hand over her face as she played with his hair a little bit. He knew she couldn't be mad at him because of what he did, he was playing around with her and he knew she knew it.

Mitchell thought of a question for her and looked to her. "If you could travel anywhere, and I mean anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?" He asked curious for her answer. He could possibly pull enough money together to take her there one day. He'd love to spoil her, not that she'd let him do very much but he could try. He knew he was probably didn't HAVE to ask her to be his girlfriend, but he probably would once he got something special enough put together. Yeah he could be a bit cheesy sometimes, but he knew a bit more of what she liked and what she didn't like."

"Dunno. I've never really thought about it." Adrienne answered with a shrug. She didn't have some dream destination like most. She'd always been happy where ever the weather was foggy and there was a library for her to visit.

She could probably take a long, long vacation in that accent of his.

Not that she'd tell him that.

The girl trailed her fingers along his face, pondering. "You know, I have to wonder if the dark jacket and sunglasses and scruffy face is, while practical and probably some sort of necessity, overcompensation for the fact that you're completely adorable." It was a compliment, in a way, it just probably didn't sound like one (especially to a guy).

Mitchell chuckled hearing her answer. Most girls would answer Paris, or London, or something like that, or some beach place but he was a bit surprised to hear her answer. "How would you like to travel to Ireland with me? We could go on our own little vacation there." He spoke as she played with his hair before moving to trail her fingers along his face. He blinked hearing what she said as he raised his eyebrow. "Did you just call me adorable?" He chuckled sitting up a bit to look at her surprised. He wasn't angry, or even annoyed. If anything he was amused! He chuckled and shook his head. "Wow, never been called adorable before."

He chuckled before he gave her a light kiss and ran his hand over her face. "You are…one of the most unique women I've ever had the pleasure to be around. You…you make me feel human again. I haven't felt like this with anyone." He spoke honestly as he gently stroked her cheek. She meant more to him than he was sure he could put into words. She was slowly becoming his everything, and he wanted to protect her with his life.

"As long as leprechauns aren't real, too." The female answered dryly, a wry little smile forming on her face. Yes, she'd like to travel to Ireland with him. Hell, she'd go pretty much anywhere with him, but he didn't need to know that. Not yet, anyway. He didn't need to know that he was quickly becoming someone that she held so, so dear. He didn't need to know that he'd taken up a permanent residence in her mind.  
Adrienne bit at the inside of her cheek, trying desperately not to blush. She didn't want to be some stupid little schoolgirl with a crush, and she didn't appreciate how her cheeks warmed when he spoke to her like that. She'd never been good with emotional situations, whether they be good or bad, and she found that she didn't quite know what to say. Instead of speaking - she'd probably just shove her foot in her mouth anyway - she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. That conveyed her feelings for him well enough, and she didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing.

Mitchell laughed at her little comment. "As far as I know they're not real." He grinned shaking his head a bit before he moved to speak to her, telling her how important she really was to him. He adored her with all of his heart and he knew that she was going to continue to be his everything. He smiled and let her lean forward to kiss him as he returned it and rested his forehead against his own afterwards. She truly was changing him bit by bit and he did not mind at all. He moved to pull her close to him as he lay down with her on the blanket and lightly played with her hair. "You know, you look very good in my clothes." He grinned teasing her as she'd been wearing his coat. He could only imagine what she would look like in one of his t-shirts.

He pushed those thoughts away for now before he tilted her head back and gave her another soft kiss, playfully nipping at her lower lip before he buried his face into her hair. "I meant what I said, I do feel human around you, and…honestly the blood lust isn't even that strong when I'm with you." He spoke honestly before he lay on his back and let her lay there with him as they looked up at the sky with a few of the leaves falling to the ground. This was just perfect. He was real glad he'd suggested a picnic that day.

Adrienne shook her head and let him pull her close. As they lay there on the blanket she found herself scoffing at his words not for the first time that day. "That's got to be some typical male trait or something, because I look like I'm wearing a burnt marshmallow." His coat was large on her - he was a good ten inches taller than she - and obviously shaped for a man. Adrienne had never worried about her clothes - her near colorless wardrobe was proof enough for that - but she wasn't blind, either. But it was interesting to know that he thought she looked good in it, and she found herself thinking back to the psychological theories that she'd learned in college. Males tended to be a little possessive, and liked making it known that things - often times people - were theirs.  
Yes, she really was a nerd.  
The redhead accepted his kiss with a smile, almost laughing when he said that he'd meant what he told her earlier. "I know you did. If you hadn't I would've pulled your hair or something for opening your mouth to begin with." As they lay sprawled out on the blanket, Mitchell's phone rang again. And again it was George, calling to make sure that the small redhead wasn't dead.  
He really had to work on that anxiety of his, she pondered.

Mitchell chuckled when she'd said that she looked like a burnt marshmallow. "No you don't." He grinned and gave her a soft kiss before he lay back on the ground with her. He loved making sure that others knew that they were together. He wasn't going to be nice and share. Not her. Nope. She was his." He looked to her for a moment when she spoke and he smiled kissing her again. He heard his phone going off once more and sighed a bit annoyed before he picked it up. "Yes, she's alive. She's nice and wet too." He grinned hanging up knowing George was probably freaking out on the other side of the phone but he just started laughing. "I swear between the two of us and Nina, we're going to give him a heart attack one day." He couldn't help but laugh a bit shaking his head.

They lay in the grass for awhile before Mitchell sat up and looked to her. It was already starting to fade to dark. "I should probably get you home before it gets too dark outside." He gave her a smile before he got up and collected everything they'd brought to their picnic. "If you'd like I'm sure you can fit at least some of my clothes and I can dry your clothes before taking you home, unless you want to stay over again tonight." He gave her a smile knowing George was going to flip out with what he'd said over the phone before hanging up on him.


	31. Chapter 16 Aly

She watched Hal correct the things on her dresser as she rolled her eyes a bit at his comeback to her. She curled up in the blankets waiting for him to join her, finally after correcting EVERYTHING in her room, he moved to lay down with her. She smiled and curled up beside him, once again using his chest as a pillow. She knew better than to call him a soft pillow again. She had left her hair down that night as she lay beside him under the large fluffy blankets. She was soon fast asleep, letting him decide if he wanted to put on the classical music or not as they slept. She'd be ok with either or, as long as he stayed her pillow. She let out a soft yawn as she wrapped her arm around his stomach lightly, to her he was pretty much just one big teddy bear. Heaven forbid she tell him that.

She was sleeping peacefully at first, but then her dreams changed to the vampire that'd grabbed her, the one that Hal had killed. She looked around the room and saw Hal dead on the ground, a steak shoved in his chest. The vampire then moved towards her and Alycia bolted out of her sleep sitting straight up in the bed in a cold sweat. She swore her heart was about ready to run out of her chest and run down the street on its own it was beating so quickly. It took her a few seconds to realize it'd been a dream as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She jumped when she felt Hal beside her but moments later she was clinging onto him tightly.

Vampires didn't need to sleep, and so when they did it was usually a very, very light sleep. When Alycia bolted into a sitting position it startled Hal awake, and he blinked at her from where he was laying on one of the pillows. It did not take long for his eyes to catch that her breathing was quick and her heartbeat even quicker. He would have asked what was wrong, but he only thing that he could think of was a nightmare.  
He sat up and put a hand on her back, not trying to startle her but doing so anyway. It didn't take long for her to cling to him, something that he didn't know whether or not was a good thing. That heartbeat of hers was still quickly, he could feel it, and he could imagine the blood pumping through her just underneath the skin.

"Are you alright?" That seemed the most important thing. "I imagine that you had a nightmare." Hal said to her, awkwardly letting his other arm slide around her. He held her for a moment, wondering how in the world he was supposed to help with this. He did not know what to say to her. But, judging by her still quickly beating heart, he didn't think that sleep would come to her any time soon if he did not do something.

"You do not have to tell me about it, I fear that you will become weepy if you do." Hal didn't know what to do with crying women, even if he was more than five hundred years old. "Would - would you like a story?"

Alycia was so relieved to see Hal was still beside her and alive. She hated dreams like that. She held onto him as he awkwardly tried to help her calm down. Just holding onto him as helping as she nodded a bit when he asked if she'd like a story. She knew if she talked about the dream, she'd end up crying. She curled up by his side resting her head against him again as she let him read to her. Slowly but surely she was able to calm her heartbeat down back to a normal place. She gently clung onto his shirt feeling her eyelids drooping now and again. Before she got too sleepy she moved up and gently kissed his neck before laying back down on his chest, snuggling into him.

With his story, she could feel herself going back to sleep and before long she was fast asleep against him once more. She held onto his shirt lightly as she mumbled a bit as she drifted off. "Mine." She mumbled as her body went back to sleep beside the man that had less experience with women in this situation than most. But she didn't care, he was everything she wanted..everything she needed. She could only hope that their relationship grew stronger as the days continued on.

When Alycia curled back up to him, Hal started the story. It was a book he'd read often enough to have memorized by that point, though probably one that she could have easily seen coming. It was 'A Tale of Two Cities', something most found remarkably boring - but that was perfect, because he was, after all, trying to put the girl to sleep. He kept his voice low as he wafted over the first line. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

In the older days, people had quite enjoyed long, drawn-out sentences.

Hal continued, and he was just in the middle of saying something of France when Alycia mumbled something. It was quiet, but Hal managed to catch it. 'Mine.'

'Mine.'

'Mine.'

He repeated it over and over in his head, spinning and twirling and twisting into something that it probably wasn't or probably was. He didn't know, he couldn't understand - but he did want to be hers. Hell would become a winter wonderland before he'd yet say that out loud to anyone but himself, but he did want to be hers.

In a way, he already thought of her as his.

The week passed without incident, Hal ended up spending a good portion of his time over at her place organizing things. She didn't mind though, as long as she was able to be near him she was happy. She'd gone back to work, thankfully the bruises were fading but she used a scarf at work to keep them from view. Today was the day that she was going to pick up Emma and she headed over to the Bed and Breakfast to get him. She knocked for a moment before walking in. "Good morning you guys. Hal you ready to go?" She asked curiously smiling excitedly at Annie. She'd been talking with her about how she'd bring Emma over later that day. Normally children were very open to the spiritual world, so maybe she would be able to see Annie too.

She left with Hal fairly easily and headed off towards the orphanage where she'd pick up the adorable little toddler. Emma would be told that morning about the adoption. They waited to tell the children that they were being adopted until the day it was happening, normally if families were having second thoughts they would before that day. Alycia was having no second thoughts. She'd spent forever getting the house painted, with Hal's help, and getting Emma's room all set up. She walked beside the dark haired vampire before she looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you by the way." She knew he probably wasn't looking forward to being around a lot of children, but she hoped that he would like Emma. They arrived fairly quickly and Alycia walked in going to the woman that would bring them to Emma. "Good morning! Oh are you two adopting her together?" The woman asked with a smile.

Hal had gotten up from the couch and began to pull on his coat as soon as Alycia walked into the door. He had been ready to leave for the past ten minutes, which meant that for ten minutes he hadn't had anything to do besides sit - it had begun to drive him insane, slowly but surely, and he was glad that Alycia showed up on time. If she'd been late, he might have started to dust every available surface in the house, and there was no stopping until he was finished.  
When Alycia thanked him, he glanced over at her. "You are quite welcome." The old vampire said. He supposed the proper thing to do would be to put a hand on her back, or to slip his hand in hers. But with so many living humans about, he didn't want to feel her pulse. He didn't want to think about her blood. When the woman asked if they were adopting together, Hal's brows snapped together in a frown. "Excuse me?" He asked, and when the woman repeated herself, he scoffed at her. "How ignorant are you to not even know who is adopting? Do you even have paperwork, or is this some sort of joke?"  
Did they really think that he was adopting with Alycia? Shouldn't they have some sort of a record that told them exactly what was going to happen? This, Hal thought, as why the human race was so in the dark about everything. A lack of organization.

Alycia giggled a bit surprised at the question, but at the same time she thought it was sweet. She elbowed Hal when he called her ignorant. "Sorry, he's just a little cranky today." She threw him a look that said 'be nice.' The woman just smiled. "Not a problem, I do have the paperwork, I just assumed you were her boyfriend is all." The woman smiled before going into the other room and getting Emmalei who'd just finished packing up her stuff. Emma knew she'd see the other kids at the orphanage at the pre-school, so leaving really wasn't that big of a deal for her. Alycia smiled seeing the little toddler come running through the doors straight to Alycia. She quickly hugged the toddler and smiled picking her up easily. "I told you I had some big news for you today." She smiled at the very excited little girl.

She accepted the small suitcase that Emma had before she thanked the woman, apologizing for Hal once more, before she left. She walked out of the building carrying the little girl who was clinging to her neck with a big smile on her face. "Emma, I'd like you to meet my friend Hal, he lives next door." She explained as the little toddler gave him a smile and a little wave. She honestly wasn't sure if they were dating, or if they were…she wasn't sure what they were yet, she'd have to ask him soon. But for now she was just happy to be able to take Emma home with her. She looked to Hal and gave him a light smile reaching over to squeeze his hand for a moment. "She was just curious about who you were Hal, she knew I was adopting Emma." She leaned over to kiss his cheek lightly as they headed back to the bed and breakfast.

Hal didn't know what to think about the woman's assumption. Part of him detested it, thinking that he should not be close enough to any human to be mistaken for a boyfriend. The other part of him was glad, joyful even, that Alycia was recognized as his - because, in a way, he already thought of her as such. Perhaps it was just a man's way to feel possessive over a female that he had laid in bed with and protected from harm, but Hal didn't quite know what else to think. He'd kissed her and held her close; she wasn't just some normal woman that he wanted to stay away from.  
He didn't tell her how the smile on her face as the toddler ran towards her was beautiful.  
Hal nodded when Alycia introduced the child to him. He gave a smile, one that wasn't as forced as it usually would be. What was he supposed to say to a child? Would she understand 'It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance'? Probably not. "Hello." Was what the vampire settled for. His gaze slid back to Alycia when she reached over and squeezed his hand for a moment. He still thought that it was stupid of her to want to come so near him, but he was keeping his bloodlust in check. He had been worried - terrified, even - of being around the child for just that reason. But it was not as horrid as he'd been expecting.  
Still, he was tense.  
"Annie will be pleased there is another child about. Don't let her in Tom's room." The werewolf kept weapons in his room, and Hal didn't quite think it would be good for the child to have access to sharpened sticks of wood.

Alycia carried little Emma in her arms back towards the bed and breakfast as Hal spoke. "Oh yeah, I'm sure she's going to be very excited." She could tell the ghost girl adored children. She knew Annie would have been an amazing mother should she have had the chance. Thankfully they arrived back fairly quickly and she walked in behind Hal. She looked to Emma, "This is where Hal lives, he's got his roommate Tom here too." She explained pointing to him as Emma giggled and waved to him. Emma looked around the room before pointing to Annie and looking to Aly. "Who dat?" Alycia smiled glad to see that she could see Annie. "That is Annie, would you like to go say hello?" The toddler nodded as Alycia put her down on the floor and let the little girl run over to her and stand right in front of Annie.

Emma moved to stand in front of Annie and smiled waving to her a bit. "hewwo aannee[An-E](Annie)" Alycia felt her heart swelling in her chest seeing the little girl that was now hers just made her so happy. She sat down with Hal on the couch as Emma looked around the place before she looked to Tom and smiled waving to him as well. She was holding onto a small stuffed frog that had been given to her when she first entered the orphanage; it was now her security blanket of sorts. "I knew you'd be ok around her Hal, you've got to have more faith in yourself." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before she rested her head on his shoulder letting the toddler wonder around curiously looking at things.


	32. Chapter 17 Ady

"If you work hard enough at it, I'm guessing his heart attack will occur in his late thirties." Adrienne told Mitchell, laughing at what he'd said to George. Yes, the werewolf was indeed going to freak out. She could practically imagine the squeaking, panicked noises he was making as he explained to Nina what had been said.

She pushed herself up off the ground and helped him gather the picnic supplies back into the basket, folding the blanket and setting it on top. She decided to stay over that night with him, if only to make an appearance so that George's mind would be put to rest. She wasn't completely ruthless in her tendency to worry the werewolf, anyway.

"Well, can't wait to see what sort of a state George is in." Adrienne snickered, her arm laced around his as they walked back from the lake. By the time they got to town it was dark, but the lights from the lampposts made it easy to make their way towards the flat that the vampire shared with the other supernatural beings.

Mitchell grinned at what she said. "True, but then again he does have a stronger heart because of the werewolf." He spoke collecting their things. He got up with her before heading back towards the house with her. He knew George was going to scold him at first but then he'd explain that he'd jumped into the lake with her, he hadn't been the one to force George's mind to go to that area of thought and Nina would probably just laugh. Life was becoming very interesting for them. Mitchell linked arms with her as they walked down the dark streets as the lights above them lit up. He finally arrived back at the house and opened the door welcoming her in first before he put a hand up for George; who looked ready to have a break down.

"Before you start yellin at me, I jumped with her into the lake. That's what I'd meant." He chuckled patting his friend's shoulder before he lead Adrienne upstairs so he could get her some fresh clothes to wear while her clothes were in the dryer. He managed to find some clothes for her that would fit her at least fairly well, even if she had to tie the string around the drawstring sweats tighter for them to fit, it'd work. He gave her some spare clothes before he stole a soft kiss. "You can use the bathroom to change if you'd like."

Adrienne couldn't help but laugh when they walked inside and the werewolf looked ready to have a breakdown. "I think it might be better for your mental health if you'd just stop worrying, George." She said to him. There she was, alive and well. That had to be a point for Mitchell, right? George could trust them now - at least, she hoped so.

Every time Mitchell stole a little kiss, Adrienne couldn't tell if it was the butterflies in her stomach or her heart that were fluttering. The thing was, she knew that he could tell when her heart sped up because of him. That would lead to embarrassing situations, she foretold, and headed off to the bathroom to change. She peeled off the wet clothes and then slipped into the ones he'd given her. She had to pull the drawstring tighter on the sweats and roll them up at the ankles, and the shirt reached just above mid-thigh, but it was comfortable. Once again she noted that the clothes did not smell at all bad, and so George had been a complete liar about how often Mitchell washed his clothes.

Mitchell patted George's shoulders as he headed upstairs with Ady and gave her the clothes. He changed in his room into some clean clothes before he stepped out to see Adrienne in his clothes. He gave her a smile and took the clothes she had taken off so he could throw them in the washer and dryer while she was there. He made his way downstairs and saw George sitting on the couch. He could tell his friend was trying to get his mind to settle down. "Thank you for the food by the way, it was perfect." He smiled at his friend before he made his way into the kitchen to put away the dishes they'd used in the sink.

George looked to Adrienne before he gave her a light smile. "I'm glad you and Mitchell had fun." He really was glad that his friends were getting long. He could see that Mitchell did care for her very much and he had to trust that his friend would do whatever it took to protect her. He'd already done that by going after the vampires that had kidnapped her before. At least Ady was talking to him again, so that was a major plus. Mitchell smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she uh, she acted like a cat with a bath when she realized what I planned to do when I picked her up and ran for the lake." He couldn't help but grin widely.

"I did not." Adrienne immediately denied, folding her arms across her chest and raising her brows at Mitchell. She still wasn't willing to concede on that argument. She had not looked like a cat trying to get away from a tub - what she had looked like was a very irritable woman trying to escape Mitchell's grasp for fear of being submerged in water. She hadn't come out on top of that one.

She was in the middle of arguing with Mitchell about what she had or had not looked like trying to escape the lake when a woman in grey showed up behind the vampire and Adrienne gave a started squeak. It occurred to her after a moment just who the woman in grey was - it was Annie, the ghost that the two boys had been talking about off and on. Yes, Mitchell had said that with her being exposed to the supernatural it was likely that she would see Annie eventually, but Adrienne hadn't quite expected it and it took her off guard.

Mitchell chuckled and sat on the couch arguing with her that she had looked like a cat trying to get away from bath water, he'd seen it with his own eyes and chuckled a bit. He blinked when she squeaked seemingly startled. He blinked and looked behind him before he smiled seeing Annie. "Hey Annie. I'm guessing she can see you now. She uh…yeah she was taken by vampires a few weeks back and hasn't been over to the house yet, I was wondering if what happened to her would cause her to be able to see you. Guess it did." Mitchell chuckled as Annie smiled brightly waving to the girl. "HI! As Mitchell said I'm Annie, I've been able to see you, but of course you couldn't see me before so it was kind of weird, but I'm glad I finally get to talk to you!"

Mitchell chuckled at the excited ghost as he let Annie moved to sit near the girl, almost pushing Mitchell out of the way. "Mitchell told me about how he'd saved you and I thought it was so romantic, and I was here when you and Mitchell were trying to cook…I kept trying to warn him the food was burning but he didn't want to look like he was mental in front of you and so he ignored me and yeah…" She smiled as Mitchell chuckled a bit. "Yeah, so now you know us talking to thin air wasn't us being mental, we were talking to her probably. She's the one who makes all the tea but then it just sits there." Annie threw him a glare. "It makes me feel normal." Mitchell put up his hands in defense. "I never said it was bad." He looked to Ady for help.


	33. Chapter 17 Aly

Annie was obviously delighted that the child could see her, it was written all over the ghost's face. Hal rolled his eyes and tried not to smile when Alycia told him that he should have more faith in himself - honestly, he was still worried that he'd snap at the child, that he'd attack. Had the predator instinct in him been any larger, he might have.

In the bed and breakfast he wasn't so worried. Annie was there, Tom was there. Neither would hesitate to stop him if it looked like he was going to hurt someone - well, Tom would not hesitate to stake him, anyway - and that was reassuring.

His head snapped in Alycia's direction when she planted a kiss on his cheek, and he frowned just a little. "You trusting me around the child - your child -is perhaps one of the most stupid things you could do." Hal told her, though, at the same time, he was glad that she did. It was as if Alycia's trust was something that was helping him stay on track, something that was helping keep the bloodlust to a minimum.

It was a stupid thought, of course, but that was what it seemed like.

He let her head rest on his shoulder, not pushing her away, and then scowled when Annie gave them both a knowing smile.

Aly watched as Emma talked with Tom a little bit, though she was still fairly little it took a few times for him to understand what she was saying. She knew Emma would get along great with them. She really was enjoying herself. Alycia giggled a bit before she turned to look at Hal when he frowned a bit at her after she spoke. "I trust you Hal. I know you won't hurt me, and I know you won't hurt her." She looked to him seriously. She rested her head on his shoulder knowing he was scowling at Annie. "Be nice." She hadn't even had to look at him to know he was scowling at the ghost, she'd gotten used to his mannerisms so she knew he probably wasn't too thrilled that Annie knew the feelings for each other were there.

A few days passed and Aly was at the house with Emma. They'd just woken up and she was working on getting the toddler some breakfast. Emma was sitting in front of the stereo, playing with the buttons on it to play the music that Aly had in there, which was once again Celtic music, more upbeat Celtic music to wake the toddler up a bit more. Aly smiled seeing her smile brightly when she turned to face Aly. "Enjoying the music Emma?" The toddler nodded as Aly finished up breakfast and placed it down on the table. "Here you go." She helped the little girl into the booster seat and buckled her in so she wouldn't fall so she could eat. Aly didn't care if her pajamas got dirty, she was going to wash them anyway after she changed Emma's clothes.

Hal stood in front of Alycia's door, scowl clear on his face and hand clenched around a bouquet of flowers. He was going to do something that he hadn't done in the longest time (seventy-two years, if one was to be exact). He was going to ask someone on a date.

How Hal had come about this decision was less than romantic. He had been re-setting the clocks to that no longer were they several seconds apart when Tom had started talking to him about Alycia. Almost immediately Hal had become defensive and that led to what could be considered friendly teasing. The werewolf had then gone on to say that if Hal was going to start courting the girl (no matter how hard he tried to shove it into the werewolf's head that 'courting' was not generally done anymore, it was a term Tom continued to use), he'd better do it soon before someone else beat him to the punch.

Hal wasn't worried about someone else beating him to the punch. He considered Alycia his, in a way, and it would not be a good idea for any man to try and get at her.

What he was worried about was seeming like a coward.

Which was why he stood on her doorstep with flowers for her, and a small stuffed animal for Emma. Hal raised his hand and knocked on the door, clearing his throat and trying to figure out the exact words he was going to say when it was answered.

He was more than five hundred years old, asking Alycia on a date should have come a lot easier to him.

Alycia heard someone knocking on the door. She made sure Emma was all seated in her seat safely and happily eating her breakfast before she made her way to the front door. She opened it and smiled seeing Hal. "Good morning Hal." She moved out of the way so he could come in if it'd like. "I've just got Emma her breakfast." She noticed the flowers in his hands along with the small stuffed animal and wondered if what she thought they were for is actually what they were for. She gave him a light smile before she turned to look at him. She was a little curious as she moved to lean against the couch a bit while Emma was humming to herself munching on her pancakes.

"I'm probably going to give her a bath after breakfast if you'd like to help. She can be a bit of a handful when it comes to baths." She smiled. Just like any toddler, she loved the water and would splash now and again, but Aly had a feeling she'd be a bit more behaved with Hal there. "Something on your mind?" She asked him curiously. He seemed like he was trying to figure something out. As he'd requested a week or so ago, she'd let him polish the silverware when he wanted to, and had given up on keeping him from organizing things around the house. She honestly didn't mind; she thought it was cute, but she wouldn't say that, she didn't want him to get mad at her.

Hal wished that he immediately knew what to say, but he didn't. And he cursed himself for it, because for Christ's sake, he was half a thousand years old! "Yes, I will, just - just listen to me for one moment. That is all I need." Hal said, though it probably sounded as if he were trying to psych himself up for it. And he was. He was trying to build up his nerve.

Then, Hal realized that Alycia was already, sort of, his. They had kissed, they'd laid in the same bed. He had little to worry about by way of her rejecting him. Smoothly Hal moved over to her, raised a hand, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would be most honored if you would accompany me for a meal." He could not bring himself to actually say the word 'date', but it was implied, especially when he handed her the flowers. "I would have gotten you flowers of amaryllis, for they are symbolic of splendid beauty, but they would not par up to the angel standing before me."

Also, the flower store he'd walked into hadn't had amaryllis. The shopkeeper could hardly pronounce it when he'd asked.

Hal almost wished that someone was there so that he could rub their faces in the fact that he could indeed be as suave as he once was. It just took some time.

"Also I brought this stuffed dog - bear - no, cat - no - this stuffed creature for Emma."

Looking to Hal a little confused she listened to what he said, asking her to listen to him for a moment. "Ok, I'm listening." She looked to him before he moved over to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt a blush slip onto her cheeks when he asked her out. He actually asked her out! She smiled before she nodded accepting the flowers that he'd handed her. "Hal, you're so sweet." She looked into his warm eyes before he explained about the flowers. She felt her cheeks darken a little bit more, her heart racing in her chest before she hugged Hal and lightly kissed him on the lips. "I would love to go on a date with you Hal. I'm sure Annie wouldn't mind watching over Emma."

She smiled looking to the little stuffed animal that he'd gotten for Emma. "Sweetheart…it's a rabbit." She gently took it up to his level and lifted up the ears a bit before she smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." She turned and brought it to the little girl who'd quickly turned around when she realized her 'mom' was coming back. Aly knew Emma had peeked from where she was in her chair. Alycia smiled placing the small toy next to her chair. "Finish up and Hal and I will give you a bath ok? And if you ask nicely, maybe Tom and Annie will watch over you tonight for me." Emma's eyes lightened up brightly. She loved seeing Annie and Tom, Tom was already acting like an older brother to her.


	34. Chapter 18 Ady

Well, Annie seemed delighted to be visible to her, to say the least. It was a good thing that Adrienne's mind could work relatively quickly, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to keep up with the speed at which the ghost was talking. "Oh, so you were warning him - then I would like to point out, Pigeon, that that one's on you and that I had little part in putting the lives of George's pans in danger." Adrienne said, first speaking to Annie, then to Mitchell. He was just going to have to deal with her use of pet names, because she had before tried to stop using the little nicknames to no avail.  
Mitchell went on to mention the tea, and Annie went on to glare at him. Adrienne had initially thought that it was odd, all those tea cups sitting around, but it did quite make sense now. When the vampire looked over at her for help, she raised her eyebrows at him. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not touching that subject with a ten foot pole. You're on your own."

Mitchell could tell that Annie and Adrienne were going to get along great, she already seemed happy with the girl and Mitchell was sure they'd be fast friends. He laughed when she blamed him for George's pans being burned. "Hey! You're just as guilty as I am because you didn't smell the smoke either." He teased her a bit as Annie got mad at him for speaking about the tea. Instead of backing him up Adrienne backed off from it verbally as he raised his hands to Annie who was giving him a look. He quickly tried to think of a way to get himself out of the dog house. "Well um….Annie…George thought about locking up your teacups and tea." He pointed to his friend who just came downstairs with a toothbrush in his mouth.

George froze and looked to Mitchell giving him a 'what the hell' look. Annie looked to George as he tried to figure out a way to defend himself, quickly bolting back upstairs so he could finish brushing his teeth before defending himself. Mitchell chuckled before he looked to Adrienne. "She won't actually hurt him, she may get a little irritated but she'd never get mad enough to actually hurt anyone." He explained as he moved his hair back and gave her a smile. "if you'd like you can sleep in my room with me, if not I'm sure we can get you the blankets again if you'd prefer."

Needless to say, Annie followed after George, demanding to know if he had actually been thinking about locking up her teacups. "You totally just threw him under the bus." She said to Mitchell, her blue eyes flickering over to him. She could faintly hear George trying to explain himself, and Annie arguing with him probably through the bathroom door.  
Adrienne looked over at Mitchell and shrugged a little when he asked where she wanted to sleep. She decided that this time it'd be alright to sleep with him - he did make an excellent pillow, after all, and she liked curling up next to him.  
Not that she'd actually give him her reasoning, of course.  
Within the next half an hour, George had solemnly sworn not to lock up the teacups, the tea, or other beverage-making supplies. Annie had seemed satisfied with this, and, not surprisingly, went to make more tea. Adrienne let Mitchell lead her to his room, and she hopped in bed with him, snuggling into the blankets.

Mitchell chuckled as George ran and hid upstairs with Annie going right after him. "Well I kinda had no choice." He teased a bit as George was upstairs trying to explain himself to Annie. He knew George would get back at him later on, but for now he'd drop it when Annie made him promise not to hide them. He lead Adrienne upstairs to his room so she could sleep beside him that night. He laughed when she jumped onto his bed and snuggled into the blankets. He mentally noticed that he was very glad that he'd washed them the night before so they smelled good to her.

He made his way over to where she was on his bed and he climbed into the bed beside her before he kissed her softly on the lips. "You're already becoming a part of the family here…a very dysfunctional family, but a family none the less." He chuckled kissing her again softly before he lay down on the bed with her wrapped up beside him. He loved the sight of her in his clothes, even though they were huge on her, she looked very nice in them. He chuckled a bit to himself before he just nuzzled her hair and let his body relax. He didn't sleep sleep, but he slept lightly enough he would be able to make sure she was safe and comfortable through the night.

Adrienne snuggled close to Mitchell and let her body relax, eyes closing. She felt safe there with him, which was either remarkably stupid or remarkably cliché. But she did. She felt safe and warm and happy, and that wasn't something that happened to her too often. Adrienne rarely liked depending on other people, but there were so many things about Mitchell that were quickly making him the biggest part of her life. She told herself that was fine, as long as he didn't start to sparkle. They'd have issues then.  
She woke up the next morning still curled up next to him, blankets bunched around them. She didn't know where the clock was in his messy room, and didn't bother to look. Whatever time it was it felt much too early to pull herself out of bed. She didn't manage, however, to go back to sleep and instead found herself tiredly sitting up and waiting for her brain to start functioning at a normal pace.

Mitchell slept through the night peacefully with Adrienne wrapped up beside him. He woke up that morning feeling her movement as he looked to her as she was sitting up on the bed. He chuckled and grabbed her shoulders to pull herself back down to the bed as he looked to her. "You still look too tired to be up and it's only…" He paused to find his clock under a shirt by his bed. "Seven….why the hell are you up at seven?" He teased her with a chuckle before he kissed her forehead softly. Oh how he adored her. She was a perfect thing to wake up to in the morning. He gently ran his fingers through her soft hair before he looked to the young woman that he was holding close to him.

"I can go with you to check up on your animals later today if you'd like. He spoke softly as he played with her hair just a bit. He let out a yawn and pulled the blankets over them as he grinned at her making the sunlight be hidden except through some little bits and pieces of the fabric where it was too thin to hide it away fully. "Or we could just lay in bad all day, that's a nice idea too." He really didn't want to share her, he wanted her all to himself at the moment.

Adrienne looked over at Mitchell when he grabbed her shoulders to pull her back down next to him. Still tired, she did not hesitate to shift closer to him and relax again. "Usually I'm up earlier." She mumbled. It didn't matter that it was a weekend. Her sleeping schedule, much like her eating habits, wasn't the most healthy thing in the world. Because she consumed so much caffeine throughout the day she didn't generally end up going to sleep until around three in the morning, and then she got up at six for work. There were occasions when she didn't get any sleep for a day or two, and those usually came back to haunt her in the form of headaches and some very intense mood swings.  
A wry little smile crept over her face when he pulled the blankets over them entirely. The minimal sunlight that could peak through the thinner bits of fabric created interesting little patterns across his face and hair and made it impossible not to look at him. "We can't lay in bed all day, genius." She said, reaching up and tweaking his nose. It wasn't often that she had such a nice wake up, and it was putting her in a playful mood.


	35. Chapter 18 Aly

Of course it had been a rabbit. Hal rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and cursed at the little stuffed creature in his mind, wondering why toymakers could not be just a little more realistic in their perception of animals. It would have surely made things easier on Hal.  
He could not bring himself to be all too irritated anymore, though, not when Alycia had agreed to go with him on a date. Granted, they had to be careful, and he couldn't bring her into the heart of town where there were so many people roaming about. But he planned on bringing her somewhere they could see the skyline, and have a nice little meal between the two of them. Some of it he had already prepared, though he would be hard pressed to admit that he had already put a lot of effort into the plan.  
Annie and Tom were probably expecting to watch Emma. Tom, after all, had been the one that badgered Hal into asking Alycia on a date. Of course he'd told Annie. "By the end of the night, Annie will have planned a wedding for us and made a list of infant's names." The vampire said to Alycia, complaining.

Alycia smiled at Hal hearing what he said. "Knowing Annie, that honestly wouldn't surprise me. "She giggled a bit before she picked up the toddler from her chair and put the dishes away. She carried Emma upstairs with Hal. "I'm curious to see if she's calmer with you around. If so I may need you around more often for her baths. Normally I need one by the time I'm done giving her one." She giggled a bit shaking her head as she walked into the bathroom with him. She started up the bath water and thankfully Emma seemed more calm this time around. She slipped the young girl out of her clothes and slipped her into the water, letting her play with her bath toys and some bubbles. She smiled before she looked to Hal over her shoulder.

She normally let Emma play in the water for a few moments before cleaning her up, washing her hair and body before letting her play some more. "So, I'm guessing you're not taking me to a raving crazy night club right?" She giggled teasing him a bit. She didn't mind, she'd much prefer something quiet with just the two of them. She wasn't one of those girls that went out and partied every night, that was the whole reason she'd left her old neighborhood and moved here. She honestly wondered if she hadn't made that split decision if she ever would've met Hal. Wow, her life would've been really really boring if she hadn't met him…but she also wouldn't have fallen in love with someone very special.

The warning from Alycia did not sit well with Hal. He was not in the mood to be splashed by soapy bathing water, and in all of his long life it was rarely that he helped with children. He was wary about messing something up, or handing Alycia the wrong shampoo. He didn't think it would be a tremendous wrongdoing, but all the same, Hal was not good with children.  
Hal busied himself with getting a towel ready for when the child got out of the tub. A few days prior he had organized that cupboard, and he knew exactly where things were in it. "I would rather die a thousand deaths than bring you to a night club." And not only because it would be packed with humans, with blood-filled bodies ripe for the plucking. Hal's main worry, despite what he might say, would have been bringing Alycia to a night club where she was going to be talked to be other men. Call him possessive, but Hal didn't particularly want anyone else 'chatting up' the girl that had just agreed to go on a date with him.  
"You may want to bring a jacket. I am unsure how cold it is going to be." That was the one thing he hadn't done. He hadn't checked the weather.

She giggled hearing Hal speak about the night club. "You also said that about working in the childcare center." She teased with a giggle before she gently washed Emma's hair after a few moments and rinsed it out, before she used the rag to put the body wash on it and cleaned up the toddler who was smiling brightly at her. Alycia smiled as well and finished letting her play before having her stand up as she accepted the towel from Hal and wrapped Emma up in it. "OK, shall we go get you some clothes?" She smiled, glad she was fully dry for once instead of soaking wet. "She was much calmer this time around you Hal." She playfully bumped against him as she headed out of the bathroom and towards Emma's bedroom to help her get in her clothes for the day. Emma chose an adorable dress. It was black, white and red and she knew the little girl loved the clothes Aly had bought for her.

She helped Emma get dressed and brushed her hair before she put on some leggings under the dress to keep her warm since it was a cooler day. "Ok, all set." She smiled before Emma raced down the hall and down the steps carefully before going to the door and giggling excitedly. "I'm guessing she wants to go see Tom and Annie." She giggled a bit before she wrapped her arms around Hal for a moment. Emma could wait for a second. "Thank you for your help with her. I'm really looking forward to our date tonight." She gave him a soft kiss on the lips before she pulled back and headed down the steps, seeing Emma jumping up and down at the front door. "Ok ok, hang on." She giggled. She knew she'd probably end up leaving Emma over there while she got ready for her date with Hal, but she wouldn't mind and neither would Emma.

"They seem equally as disturbing to me." Hal informed Alycia when she brought up the fact that going to a nightclub was not the only thing that he would die a thousand deaths not to do. The bath did not seem to go as terrible as Alycia had led him to believe it would, and by the end of it neither adult was dripping with bathwater. He tried not to smile when the female playfully bumped against him before she headed out the door.  
It was not long before the little girl was racing down the steps and towards the door, and Hal had to wonder why in the word she was so excited to see Annie and Tom - for Christ's sake, one was a ghost and the other a werewolf.  
Then again, children had such a ridiculously small sense of self-preservation. That showed in the fact that the child did not seem to mind being around him. "Shall I take her over while you get ready?" Under normal circumstances, Hal would never have offered such a thing. He was still puzzled as to why he was doing so now, what with the lust for blood roaring through him - no, it wasn't, not as bad as he had imagined it would be. "It will be little trouble." He was not going to promise that it wouldn't be any trouble, seeing as though Emma was a child and not mute. But he could deal with walking the girl over to the bed and breakfast so that she could be babysat by Annie. He needed to gather his wallet, anyway, and that was tucked away in his room.

Smiling at his response she got Emma up in her towel and lightly bumped him on her way out in a playful manner. She managed to get Emma all cleaned up and got her ready to go next door. She slipped Emma's shoes on at the door before she looked to Hal when he asked if he should take her over for her. "That'd be great Hal, thank you." She looked to the little toddler in front of her. "Behave ok? Be nice to Annie, Tom and Hal ok?" The toddler nodded and smiled brightly as Alycia hugged her tightly. She let Hal take the young girl next door as Alycia headed upstairs to take a shower and figure out what she was going to wear. She had a dress she'd been saving in the back and debated on wearing it. She decided tonight would be the perfect time to wear it.

She pulled it out and placed it on the bed along with the other supplies she'd need, such as her underwear/bra and decided on nude colored tights. She collected a towel for herself and her hair before she made her way towards the bathroom to get herself all cleaned up. She used her favorite body wash while she was in the shower. It smelled of the ocean. She also used the same shampoo and conditioner so smells wouldn't mix and come out horrible together. Next door, Emma smiled as she ran into the house and ran over to hug Annie excitedly before she did the same with Tom. Emma had only seen them a few times but already the little toddler was thinking of them as her family, just the family that lived next door.

When the toddler was safely inside with Annie and Tom, Hal went up the stairs to get his wallet. He straightened a few things on the dresser and turned the exercise bike's peddles the correct way (he liked it when they were straight, alright?) before he grabbed his wallet and turned to head back down the stairs. Tom, of course, was on the living room floor playing with Emma, and Annie was holding Eve on the couch. In a way it did look kind of like a family, with the distinct absence of Alycia. For the little scene to be complete she had to be there, and it struck Hal how quickly she had managed to worm her way into not only the lives of Annie and Tom, but also his. Hal was a very, very guarded man, yet there he was, bringing a human out on a date.  
He got the food out of the fridge and arranged it just so in the basket that he had found upstairs in the attic. You see, he had gotten ready for this date ahead of time. Had Alycia said no, the food would have been either left to Tom or thrown out the window in a fit of annoyance (and then meticulously picked back up when Hal realized that he'd strewn it all around the yard). When he was sure that things were ready he grabbed the basket, his coat, and headed out the door to go see if the female was yet ready.


	36. Chapter 19 Ady

Mitchell smiled and pulled Adrienne back into the bed with him as she said she was up earlier. "Well now you can be up later with me." He grinned chuckling a bit before he pulled the blankets over them as she said they couldn't lay in bed all day. "Why not? It is the weekend." He grinned pulling her in for a soft kiss. He had something special he wanted to give her and he hoped to give it to her soon. He gently stroked her cheek before he kissed her forehead gently. He knew his mother and grandmother would adore her if they were still alive. But he had one way to include her in his family tradition even though his family was long gone.

"What do you say to having a night in tonight, just us. I'm sure Annie can help us cook this time so we don't burn anything." He knew he wouldn't be able to not give her the gift much longer. It was going to drive him insane if he didn't give it to her soon. He knew that she was the one who should have it. It was the one thing he'd kept from his human life…and he wanted to give it to the one person that made him feel normal and human again…

There really was no better way to wake up than to his kisses, at least not one that Adrienne had discovered. The girl hummed her approval into the kiss, smiling when he pulled away. Usually she was a royal bitch in the mornings, but that morning she seemed to have skipped over that phase entirely.

"You really want to try and cook again?" The girl couldn't help but giggle. "Alright." She did quite enjoy attempting to cook with him, even though the first time they'd set one of George's favorite pans on fire. Maybe they could just avoid his favorites and they'd be in the clear.

Adrienne lay with him for a while longer before moving to sit up again. She did need to go and check up on her animals - Ceasar, though generally well behaved, liked to hide her shoes and tear into the couch cushions if she was gone too terribly long.

Mitchell chuckled when she spoke of trying the cooking again. "I don't see why not. I mean I agree, we stay away from George's favorite pans and I'm sure we'll be ok." He grinned thinking about what they could make. "And maybe this time we could start with something a little less complicated…and maybe read the recipe before we try to cook anything." He chuckled a bit before he placed a hand against her cheek. He knew she may have to go check on her animals before she could stay there much longer. "Why don't I drop you off at home and come pick you up tonight?"

That would give him a chance to talk to Annie and figure out what would be the best way to give her the amulet that his mother had given him before he'd left for the war. She had told him to give it to someone he fell in love with…someone who honestly meant the world to him. Though he'd had relationships during his 100 years of being old enough to date…none of the girls ever caught his attention long enough for him to feel that they were his world. That was until he met Adrienne….He knew he had to give her the necklace that was the only thing he'd kept from his human life

"Yeah, reading the recipe first does sound like a rather crucial step." Adrienne agreed with a nod. They hadn't the previous day, so that was perhaps one of the reasons that things had gone wrong. She couldn't name all of the others because she simply didn't know how cooking worked. That was why her entire quantity of cooking supplies consisted of a single pot, a single pan, and a microwave. Obviously the latter was the most used.  
"You don't always have to bring me home, you know." The redhead murmured to him, a little smile tugging at her lips. Eventually she was sure that the way he wanted to take care of her was going to become a little annoying, and there would probably be arguments about it. But at the same time she was going to love it, she was going to love the fact that he cared. "But if you'd like to, that sounds great." She pressed a little kiss to the corner of his mouth before finally climbing out of the bed.

"I know I don't have to take you back home, I want to." He really did. He was still a little unsure about how exactly he was going to give her what he was going to give her the necklace; but he knew Annie would be able to help him think up something. Of course he was going to try and do it in a way where she knew that it was genuine yet at the same time it wasn't predictable or corny. He brushed it out of his mind for now as he looked to the young woman as she climbed out of his bed. "You know you look damn good in my clothes. He teased her with a grin. "You should wear them more often."

After getting dressed and pulling her clothes out of the dryer for her, he headed downstairs to get some breakfast started up for her. He wanted to make sure that she ate before he took her back home. "Hey Annie? I'm going to need your help…and possibly Nina's. I'll explain when I get back from dropping Ady off at home, but there's something very important I want to do and…well I have no idea how I'm going to do it." He spoke seriously running his hand through his hair lightly before he let out a sigh. He let Annie help him make some simple pancakes for Ady when she came downstairs to eat.

Ady changed into her own clothes and went down the stairs. Mitchell did convince her to eat, and though she wasn't ecstatic about being forced to down breakfast - she was still used to her own meal schedule, and it just felt odd to eat an actual meal in the morning - she did appreciate the fact that he (with the help of Annie) had made her breakfast.  
Then they were on their way, her hand in his as they strolled down the sidewalk. Several turns on different streets, and they were at her flat. Edgar was curled up on one side of the window looking relatively undisturbed, but Ceasar had his nose pressed up against the glass and he was watching out the window for anyone that looked like his owner. He caught sight of the two on the sidewalk and gave a very loud, very happy bark before running to the door.

Mitchell made sure that she did eat before he took her back home. He wanted to make sure that she ate….decent food. Yeah he wasn't the best cook but he hoped that with time he'd be able to become a better cook and actually make something on his own. Being 117 years old and hardly able to cook was not good. He brushed it off and said goodbye to Annie and Nina when she'd come downstairs just as they were leaving. He guessed that George was still upstairs sleeping. He enjoyed the walk back towards Adrienne's house and they arrived there in decent time.

He chuckled when he saw the dog's nose pressed against the glass. "He really does miss you." He chuckled a bit seeing the cat that hated him and practically anyone that entered the home. He laughed as the dog barked happily when he saw Adrienne. "Awe, he knows his mom's on her way home." He chuckled a bit before she was nearly tackled to the ground by the big dog but George did his best to make sure that she didn't get knocked over and hit her head on the ground.

It was safe to say that the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground when Ceasar ran to greet her - and by 'greet', she meant 'tackle'- was the way Mitchell wrapped his arm around her to keep her from toppling over. The dog went to him next, tail wagging and nose went, to demand to be pet. "Well, at least he doesn't hate you as much as Edgar does." Adrienne offered. The slightly overweight cat was already heading into the kitchen, obviously waiting to be fed.  
Though she asked if he wanted to, Mitchell didn't stay too long that time. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips before he left, though, and then went into the kitchen to feed the animals. The way they were acting you'd think that they hadn't been fed for days.

Mitchell laughed and held her so she wouldn't be knocked down before he pet the dog's head before he smiled at Adrienne. "Yeah, he seems pretty friendly with me." He grinned a bit before he gave her a soft kiss. "I wish I could stay longer but I have things I must prepare for tonight." He playfully lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it before he let her go feed her animals while he headed back home. Thankfully he arrived there pretty quickly and he went up to his room digging out the small box that held the necklace that he wanted to give Adrienne. He opened it and looked to the unique antique necklace that had been passed down his family for well centuries now.

He headed downstairs after placing the box on his dresser, making sure it wouldn't fall before he found Annie in the kitchen. "OK, I've got this necklace that's been in my family for a very long time…my mother gave it to me before I left for the war and I want to give it to Adrienne…but I want to do it in a way that doesn't seem cheesy or predictable." He looked to the ghost girl knowing she could help, if anything Nina may be able to help as well. "I also need to figure out something to make for us. I know what kinds of vegetables she won't eat so I've got to stay away from those." He reminded himself while speaking it out loud. He hadn't been this nervous in a long time.

Adrienne had time to kill, so she went to kickboxing that day. She took her dog for a walk, she caught up on the programming that she'd neglected the previous day in favor of spending time with Mitchell. She bustled about her house like usual, multitasking. She showered and changed into clothes that had not been thrown in a lake - with her in them, nonetheless - and then brushed Edgar and had to change her clothes again because of all the fur.  
Honestly, it seemed like every day she pulled another cat-sized ball of fur off of him, but he never became any less fluffy.

Annie, needless to say, was practically gushing about how romantic the entire thing was. A lot. "I'll bet that if you ever have kids, you're going to have all girls and you won't know what to do with yourself then, Mitchell. Can't you just imagine him playing dress up with them?" The ghosts turned to Nina, who looked like she rather was about to give herself an aneurism trying not to laugh.

They probably weren't being the biggest amount of help in the world yet.

Mitchell looked to Annie when she was practically gushing about what he was planning on doing. After about a good two hours of not getting much help from her, or Nina, he managed to get something put together for that night. Thankfully Annie was willing to help him cook that night so everything was perfect. Once he was sure everything was set at the house, he left to go pick up Adrienne. He took a deep breath as he stood outside her door for a moment before he knocked on her door. He was nervous, yes, but he hoped that tonight would be perfect. He was going to ask her a big question and he could only hope she said yes.

He was wearing a simple button up dress shirt with his normal dark pants and jacket. He gave her a smile when she opened the door. "Hey, you ready?" He asked curiously. Once she was he took her hand as he walked with her towards the house, his mind racing a little bit as he walked down the street with her. He chuckled seeing a little bit of cat fur on her and plucked it off, flicking it off to the side. "How excited were those two to see you?" He asked curiously. He hoped that maybe they could find a place to move in together…or if anything, she could move in with them, there was an extra room that she could have…or she could share his room with him, he wouldn't mind one bit.


	37. Chapter 19 Aly

Alycia finished cleaning up in the shower before she put on her outfit and some simple make up. She smiled as she slipped on her shoes and did a little bit of curling with her hair. She then headed downstairs to make sure she had everything. She grabbed her jacket with her keys and phone to make sure Annie and Tom could reach her should they need to. She smiled hearing Hal at the front door before she opened it for him and smiled honestly a little excited for their date. She locked the door behind her before she walked with him towards the destination of their date. She was honestly glad that Annie and Tom were willing to watch Emma for her so they could go out.

She had never thought when she first met him that he would become such a big part of her life. Sure she thought and hoped that they'd be able to see each other more and chat, but she never imagined he'd become…well practically her world. She'd do anything to protect him, as well as Tom and Annie and of course Emma. She looked up at the sky and smiled seeing a few clouds were in the sky, but all in all it was going to be a semi nice day. At least it wouldn't rain. She walked by his side and enjoyed the walk with him, though she reminded herself to next time wear less high heels. But all in all she was happy.

"Looking upon you I am struck with the knowledge of how sailors must have felt with the first sight of land on the horizon."

He'd been around when all the literary greats had, of course he knew how to compliment a woman properly.

Hal had a difficult time not staring at her. Being a rather old-fashioned man, he liked it when he saw girls wearing dresses. No, he wasn't being sexist, it was just a preference. And no one did he enjoy seeing in dresses more than Alycia. She was beautiful, and she was his - at least, he considered her such. He rather hoped to have that figured out by the end of the night. But could he even ask her to enter into a relationship with him? Even if she was not frightened of him going insane with bloodlust and harming her, it was something that he was wary of.

He pushed it out of his mind. Hal rarely enjoyed himself, and this was going to be a day that he would keep in his memory. "We're going to a park. Sort of." It was on the outskirts of the park, actually, on a hill and a little farther away from the town. That way they could see the stars in the sky and the lights below, too. It was a nice view, and it was secluded, away from people.

"Are you sure that you're going to be able to walk in those heels?" One of the things that Hal had not packed away in his basket was a pair of shoes for her. He wondered if that would be a necessity if he ever took her on a date again, and made a mental note to check what shoes she was wearing before he ever asked her to spend a day with him again. "It's a little far."

Alycia felt a blush run across her cheeks at Hal's compliment. She really was lucky wasn't she? She got a man that not only knew how to treat a woman, but would protect her and gave her butterflies with the sweet things he said. "You're so sweet, that was beautiful." She gave him a soft hug before she walked beside him towards their destination. She was a little curious as to where they were going though; her thoughts were answered when he explained that they were going to the outskirts of a park where they would be able to see the skyline, and not be around too many people. "That sounds perfect." And it truly did.

When he asked about her shoes she looked to them before she smiled. "I've spent 8 hours on my feet in these are work, I think I'll be ok." That had been the one day she had accidently slept in and ended up grabbing the first pair of shoes she saw. If she had survived that, she could probably survive a bit of a walk with Hal. Everything was so peaceful during their walk. There were couples here or there that would pass them; but for the most part they were alone. She saw the park up ahead and was honestly glad they were almost there; sitting down would be wonderful about now.

Hal raised a single brow and looked down at her shoes again. "Eight hours in those contraptions?" Perhaps they should have used tactics like that in the ancient wars - such torture would have gotten men to talk much more quickly than anything else Hal could imagine. When they passed people he put an arm around her waist, bringing her just a little closer to himself. Admittedly it was a protective gesture.  
It was quite a walk, and he had warned her. Hal hoped that her feet were not aching too terribly much when they finally got there. He removed the blanket from the basket and set it down, taking a tad longer than it would have taken someone else because he had to make sure that the corners were straight. Perhaps his routines really had become a compulsive disorder, he thought with bemusement.  
When they sat down he got the food ready. He had cooked some of it himself, Annie the rest. Hal's age came into play once more with his cooking abilities. He had learned a lot as a vampire, though the learning usually took place when he was on the side considered 'good'. He had switched from side to side so many times that, before Alycia, it had been becoming difficult to fathom a future in which he would not turn to the other side as soon as something went wrong.

She giggled hearing his comment about her shoes before she nodded. "Yup. Eight hours." She finally arrived with him and let him place the blanket down, fixing the edges as she figured he would want to. She slipped her shoes off of her feet before stepping on the blanket and sitting down with him. He was right; they were alone and the view was absolutely beautiful. She was glad she'd grabbed her coat, and that she'd worn the tights to keep her legs warm. She looked to him as he set up the food. "Did you make it?" She asked curiously. She knew he could cook, at least she had a good feeling he could, and even if he wasn't the best, she knew Annie would've helped him out.

She relaxed with him on the blanket as she looked up at the sky. It was truly beautiful and made her wonder what kind of things they didn't know about yet that the world kept secret from them. She let out a content sigh as she ate with him; chatting a little bit as they are. "There was one time I was trying to cook for my parents for my mom's birthday…yeah uh, the house almost caught fire. Thankfully my brother was able to help me put out the fire before it caught on anything that could've spread." She giggled a bit. "And that was just from trying to make toast!"

"I made some of it." Hal answered. "Annie made some while I was looking for a blanket that wasn't moth-bitten." No, not all of the blankets that they had were moth-bitten, most were quite warm. But for one reason or another Hal had deemed each and every one acceptable. He still had his qualms about the blanket they were seated on, but it was large, clean, and would keep them from sitting on dirt.  
As they ate, they talked. Hal listened to her story of the time she almost burnt down the house trying to cook, and his brows furrowed. "Even cooking over a campfire I have never had an issue such as that." He said, trying to imagine the carnage that would have been there had her brother not helped. It was quite humorous, when he thought about it, and he had to try not to laugh. His lips ended up twitching into a bit of a smile anyway.  
"Tell me more about your life before you became perhaps one of the most disturbing neighbors I've ever had." Hal requested. Coming from anyone else it would have sounded like an insult. Hell, it probably was an insult, but he didn't mean it that way. Alycia did disturb him, but she kept him good. She provided him with things to do, she wasn't afraid of him - Hal would never have admitted it to anyone, but he liked it when she bothered him. Though he did have to try particularly hard not to think about the rugs that he hadn't swept under in her house when he'd done the floors.

"It's very good." She complimented his cooking as she smiled when he spoke of trying to find a blanket that wasn't moth-ridden. "Well if you had said something I had a quilt I could've grabbed from the closet." She finished eating with him as she told him stories about her childhood. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully when he teased her about being one of the most disruptive neighbors he'd had. "You know you love me." She teased him a bit before she tried to think of another story she could tell him. She told him a few more stories about when she was a teen and her hair went blonde by accident when she was trying to color her hair with light brown highlights.

She loved the time alone with him. Everything was just perfect that night. She looked out at the lights of the city twinkling as the cars moved around the town they called home. She was so glad that she'd taken that chance to get out of that place that she'd been living in. It was the best decision that she'd ever made. She looked to Hal after a moment before she spoke up. "You ok? You look like something's on your mind."

Hal listened to her stories, his lips occasionally twitching into a smile when they came upon a funny bit of her life. He listened to the way she laughed, and watched the way the minimal light shone off of her face. She was beautiful, he thought, and this time he did not bother to keep himself from staring. That was, after all, what people were supposed to do on dates - pay attention to each other. It was so, so easy to let his attention be taken with her.  
Most of his attention. The rugs were still bouncing around the back of his mind.  
Of course she had to ask him about what he was thinking of. Hal's eyes flickered over to her, and the slightest of smirks crossed his face. "I could tell you that I was thinking of your beauty, or the way your hair shines in the moonlight. I could say that your eyes are like the stars, twinkling and joyful and terribly distracting. I could even say that I was wondering about the future, and whether or not we have one together, for I surely wish that we do."  
This was as close as Hal would ever get to joking around with her.  
"But I was thinking about the rugs that I hadn't swept under yet." The vampire finished, one corner of his mouth pulling into the tiniest of smirks.

Looking to him as he spoke she noticed the slight smirk on his face and listened to what he was telling her. She thought he was very sweet and was actually felt her cheeks lighten up just a bit before he told her what he'd really been thinking about and she almost smacked herself on the forehead as she gave him a look before she giggled. "Seriously Hal? That was almost the sweetest thing I've ever heard." And it was, she had almost leaned over and kissed him before he had told her about the rugs. "You…are a complicated one Hal." She leaned over and gave him a kiss anyway as she gently ran her fingers over his face. "I do hope we have a future together too. I've never felt the way I feel around you with anyone else."

She knew she was in love and she knew Hal was the only person she wanted to be with. Somewhere along the line of annoying him now and again, she fell for him…and she fell hard. She gently rested her forehead against his own, sitting there in the night together. She honestly wished she could freeze time just for a little while longer so she could stay close to him. He may see himself as a monster because of what he was, but she didn't see that. She saw all the good in him, she saw the strength he had to control himself and knew that one day she did want to be like him…she didn't want to grow older while he stayed young forever…

Well, they had always said that 'honesty is the best policy'. Apparently that was true, because Alycia was smiling at him and her laughter was music to his ears. That was something that he would have chosen to listen to even over the composing greats themselves. He nearly wanted to laugh himself when she leaned over and gave him a kiss anyway. Nearly. He didn't, of course, but his mood was much lighter than it usually was.

"Then I suppose the time to ask would be now." Hal said, more to himself than to her. "Would you consider entering into a relationship with me?" He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'girlfriend'. Not yet. It sounded almost crass to his five-hundred year old ears, like it was a mocking title rather than something special. Her title in his head, for now, was simply 'mine'. More often than not it was also 'perfect', and, occasionally - like when she got after him for re-organizing the cupboards three times in a single day - 'stupid'. But it was always loving, somehow, and that thought was something that confused him greatly.

Hal brought a hand up to her face when she rested her forehead against his own, thumb stroking her cheek. He waited for an answer and felt an odd little ball of nerves swell up inside of him. He pushed that away. He knew how to talk to women and this was no different - at least that's what he told himself.

Looking to Hal when he spoke asking her if she'd like to enter into a relationship with him, she could feel her heart swelling in her chest as she smiled at him and nodded. "I would love to." She felt his hand against her face as their foreheads rested together. She was so happy that he'd asked her that, she loved the fact that they were going to be committed to one another; no one else would ever have her attention like he did. She wanted so badly to tell him that she loved him, but she decided to hold off on that for a little while longer. She honestly felt like the luckiest girl in all of England at the moment. She moved to cuddle right next to him as she rested her head against his lightly.

This night was going perfect. She knew that Annie would probably be squealing when she told her that she and Hal were now in a relationship. While some girls wouldn't like the old-fashionedness Hal had about him, Alycia adored it. She didn't know why but just the way he was, old fashioned attitude and all, made her happy. She had a thought that entered her mind that made her giggle a bit. Since they were together, he'd be over more often than not probably and Emma would start seeing him as her father figure, possibly even start calling him 'daddy'. She had to wonder how he'd react to something like that.


	38. Chapter 20 Ady

"Yeah, let's go." Adrienne answered, a little smile forming on her face. She had changed into a dark skirt and a blouse, though she was once again wearing her sneakers. When he took her hand she laced her fingers through his and moved close to him as they walked. Her eyes flickered to the cat hair that he pulled off of her shirt and she gave a little shameless smile - Edgar's hair tended to get everywhere no matter how many times she vacuumed. On the furniture, on her clothes. Hell, it was likely that there was some of it over at Mitchell's place now, because he'd spent the night in her home and then went back to his the other day. So - yeah. There was no point in trying to keep Edgar from shedding.

"I think that Edgar was more excited to be fed." The redhead informed him, a little smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. She wasn't going to tell him how the dog had sat staring at the door for a long moment as if he was wondering why Mitchell wasn't there. After such a short time, the dog really had gotten used to him.

Michelle chuckled when she spoke of the cat hair. "I've never had a cat so I don't know exactly what it's like to have cat hair all over the place." He chuckled a bit as he walked with her towards the house before he walked inside with her. He had set up the kitchen with a nice table cloth and actually found some candles that didn't look too horribly predictable. He smiled seeing the food was still hot and ready for them as he lead her to the kitchen and pulled out her chair for her.

He served up the food and while they ate, he chatted with her a bit and chuckled enjoying every moment with her. When he finished eating he went to the counter and grabbed the small box. "I have something for you Adrienne." He spoke before making his way over to where she was. He smiled and gave it to her letting her open the box when she wished to. "My mother gave it to me before I left for the war…it was her mothers and her husband gave it to her when they started dating. She told me to give it to someone who was the world to me…Adrienne…I want you to have it."

Adrienne, not for the first time since being around Mitchell, was speechless. The more reasonable part of her mind shouted at her that they'd only known each other for a few weeks, that she couldn't be his world and he couldn't be hers. But the side of her mind that he turned gooey with those deep brown eyes and those words told her that she really did love him. She wanted to shout at him for giving her something so precious, say that whatever their relationship was, it hadn't gone through trials and tests and she didn't know how long it would last because statistically speaking it didn't have much of a chance.

That was reason.

But her emotions were completely different and he was setting them alight. Honestly, it was confusing.

"I didn't think it was possible to fall in love in less than a month, you know that?"

That was as close to an admittance as he was yet going to get. But it was definitely a big one, coming from her.

Mitchell looked to the young woman that was sitting across from him as he gave her the necklace that had been passed down his family for years. He gave her a smile before seeing she was struck speechless. It made him mentally chuckle but he did his best to keep that from showing right now as she spoke after a few moments. "I didn't think so either…but I know that no one…no one will ever mean more to me than what you mean to me." And he meant it. "you are unlike any other woman that I've ever met. You make me smile, I feel…as I've told you before I feel human with you."

He slowly picked up the necklace from the box before he moved behind her to slip it around her neck. He latched it before letting it rest against her skin. He could feel her blood running under her skin. He smiled and moved to look in front of her to see it around her neck. "You look beautiful baby." He spoke softly as he ran his hand over her neck before he leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "It looks perfect on you." He spoke gently taking in the view of the brass butterfly that seemed to be perfect for her both personality wise and physically.

Now it wasn't just his accent that made Adrienne weak in the knees, but also what he was saying. The girl had never thought that she'd be rendered all gooey and lovey just because of the things a man said to her, but Mitchell was, well, he was special. He was perhaps the most special person in the world to her, and that didn't look as though it was going to be changing any time soon. He was her world just as much as she was his.  
She let him put the necklace on her, and he could probably hear the way her heart sped up when he brushed his fingers on her neck. She returned his kiss, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment.  
She thought about telling him that he was the only one who'd ever get her to enjoy cliché little situations like this, but instead, she just pressed another kiss to his lips. "I love you, you know that?" Well, she'd just told him, sort of. So he probably did. But it wasn't something that she often said unless she was being sarcastic. "So much."

Mitchell knew that Adrianne wasn't one to fall for gooey lovie stuff, but he did hope that she was enjoying what he'd put together. He smiled kissing her lovingly on the lips as he ran his fingers over her neck gently and heard her spoke. "I love you too Adrienne. More than I've ever loved anyone in this life or my human life." He spoke honestly as he gently traced his fingers over her cheek. He could only hope and pray that he wouldn't ever snap around her. He was pretty good about controlling himself, but one thing that scared him was hurting her by accident.

"I should probably take you home before it gets too late. I'll even stay over tonight if you want me to." He gave her a gentle smile before he sighed and looked at the kitchen door behind him. "Come on out Annie, Nina and George. I know you all are back there." He turned to look over his shoulder as Annie popped her head out with a smile. "WE couldn't help it Mitchell! We've never seen you this sweet before." Annie giggled before she hugged Adrienne tightly very happy for her. "I know you and Mitchell will be amazing together, and your kids will be so adorable!"

Adrienne nodded. She'd like it if he stayed over - granted, he'd have to deal with Ceasar taking up about three fourths of the bed, but if seemed like a wonderful excuse to be closer to him.

She almost wanted to kick herself for not realizing that Annie, Nina, and George had been spying. She was usually more observant than that - but she supposed that Annie didn't really have to make noise if she tried not to. Also, the redhead had been fairly distracted by Mitchell, and rightfully so.

"What?" She mouthed to Mitchell over the ghost's shoulder when Annie said something about children.

They did manage to get out of the house relatively quickly, thank goodness. Adrienne was getting used to Annie and considered her a friend, but there was only so much that the redhead could take. Patience was not one of her strong suits.

Mitchell chuckled looking to Annie who'd started gushing about children. "Ok time to go." He chuckled and grabbed his coat before rushing Adrienne away from Annie as George had started to do his squeaky thing when Annie had spoken of them having children. "I don't need that mental image!" Mitchell knew what he was talking about, to have kids, they'd have to have sex. He shook his head a bit before he wrapped his arm around Adrienne's waist and lead her towards her home. "Sorry about them, I expected that from Annie, George I knew would at least be listening to make sure nothing happened, but I never expected Nina to be involved."

He arrived back at her house with her and opened the door for her so she could go inside. He smiled and kissed her cheek lovingly before he saw the dog that ran over to him. He chuckled a bit and pet the sweet dog's head as he shut the door behind him. He was glad that at least one of the animals that she had liked him. He wouldn't mind sharing the bed with her and her dog, he could tell her dog loved her very much. He wrapped his arms around her as he stroked her face gently. "You are so beautiful Adrienne."

Ceasar wasted no time in running over to Mitchell, and even as the vampire wrapped his arms around Adrienne the dog was pushing his way in the middle in a demand for attention. Adrienne laughed, glad for the distraction because otherwise she would have blushed at Mitchell's words. It wasn't like he'd never complimented her before, but all the same, her cheeks had started to heat up and they'd probably turned pink.

"I'm going to go change into pajamas - don't kill the cat." The girl gave a joking warning, knowing very well that Mitchell disliked Edgar. And that Edgar disliked Mitchell. It was possible that, if vampires could scar, he'd have several new ones on his ankles before long.

The redhead went to her bedroom, gathered pajamas, and changed in the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and headed back out to feed the animals - Edgar was probably fine, but Ceasar was a big dog and ate a lot.

Mitchell chuckled when the dog tried to squeeze his way between the two of them. He stole a kiss from Adrienne before he moved to pet the dog as she headed upstairs to change. He had brought a bag with his clothes in it so he wouldn't be stuck in his dress shirt and slacks that were actually very uncomfortable to sleep in. And at least this time he'd be sharing the bed with Adrienne…and of course her dog that was demanding his attention at the moment. He playfully pet the dog before he looked upstairs towards where Adrienne was.

After a few minutes he headed up the stairs himself. He smiled seeing her just coming out after she changed into her pajamas. "Hey, you look as adorable as always." He kissed her cheek softly. He was glad to be away from her annoying cat who seemed fascinated with clawing him up. He brushed it off for now and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm going to change in the bathroom real quick and then we can do whatever you'd like. Watch corny movies, watch old tv shows, anything." He smiled at her before heading into the bathroom with his pajamas.

"We've already cleared the fact that you're the adorable one in this pairing." Adrienne told him, a little smirk on her face. She didn't know what she wanted to do, really, but old television shows did sound particularly nice. She did have to go into work the next day, but not too early in the morning. So it wouldn't hurt to stay up for a little while. While he was in the bathroom changing she turned on the television and switched it to one of the channels that played old black-and-white movies and shows. She fetched a blanket and sat on the couch, curling her feet underneath herself. Ceasar was in the kitchen noisily chomping down on his food, but Edgar hopped up onto the coffee table and twitched his tail until she reached out to pet him. He was a moody cat, but he did enjoy his attention. Well, when it was her giving him that attention. He really didn't like strangers at all.

Mitchell grinned at what she said before he followed her to the couch after she got herself a blanket. He was in his pajamas by now and made his way over to the couch and smiled seeing her petting the cat. "I see he only likes you." Maybe with time the cat would get used to him. He was unsure about having that cat in the house with George. He'd probably start squeaking about how the cat was evil…actually that could prove to be pretty entertaining. He chuckled at the thought and brushed it aside for now.

Mitchell moved onto the couch with her and lay down behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and gently ran his hand through her hair. He kissed her head lightly before he played with her hair some more hearing Ceasar in the kitchen eating up his food He couldn't help but laugh hearing how loud the dog was eating the food. "I was surprised that George was actually spying on us. Nina and Annie I suspected because well they're girls but..George." he chuckled a bit shaking his head.

"He doesn't hate you -" Adrienne's statement (lie) was interrupted by the cat's hiss. Edgar's fur had puffed up when Mitchell got close, and he didn't look all that happy to have the vampire around. Apparently Mitchell had left a dangerous impression on the feline. "Well, not as much as he hates George." She amended, brushing her fingers over his hand.

"You didn't expect George to be spying? Come on, he's practically one of the girls anyway." Edgar had bolted off of the coffee table and retreated behind the chair near the side of the room. That was quickly becoming his favorite place to be when Mitchell was over. "I think you've traumatized my cat."

Mitchell grinned when she said that the cat didn't hate him. "Oh yeah, he really loves me." He shook his head a bit as he held her close to him on the couch. "Even though he sometimes acts like a girl more than a guy, it does surprise me that he was watching us." He smiled and ran his hand over her neck gently seeing the necklace on her. It was just perfect on her. "I know if my mother was still alive, she would love you. My grandmother would love you too." He spoke softly as he gently held her close as her cat went to hide away from the two of them. "sometimes I wish I'd met you back when I was human…but other times not. I'm happy with you my dearest."

It really shouldn't have surprised Mitchell that George had been watching them, After all, George was an overprotective werewolf and Mitchell was his best friend. George would have been spying not only to make sure nothing happened, but to see what did. A little shiver was sent down her spine when he ran his fingers over her neck, and she looked at him with a little smile. She wanted to point out that, had they met back when he was human, it was likely that he would either have died in war and they'd have a terrible relationship anyway - and that without recent advances in medical science they'd probably be screwed if they got a really bad flu - but she didn't.  
"You should stop being cheesy and just watch the show." She said, but it was said with a smile. His words got to her even if she wasn't going to admit it to him.

Mitchell looked to her when she spoke and chuckled a bit kissing her head softly. "I'm only cheesy around you my love." He kissed her hair before gently running his fingers through it as he watched the show with her. That night was going to be a test honestly for him. He hadn't been next to a girl at night for a long time now and he honestly didn't want to hurt his love, he had control over himself sure..but that didn't mean it was easy for him to sleep next to someone. He shook his head of the thoughts that worried him for now and just focused on relaxing with the woman that had grown to mean so much to him over a short time. He never thought he could love someone so quickly but it was happening.

After the few episodes of the old black-and-white comedy they were watching, Adrienne nearly fell asleep on the couch with him. She rolled her shoulders a little and glanced over, a smile on her face. "Come to bed with me?" The redhead sat up and slipped her hand into his. She was quite tired now, and did need to sleep ifs he was going to wake up at any decent time the next day. She led him to her room and climbed into bed, slipping under the covers on one side. Almost as soon as Mitchell climbed into bed beside her, Ceasar jumped up and lay across the bottom of the mattress. He was too big for that, of course, and would no doubt maneuver things so that he had more space later on.

Mitchell could hear Adrienne's body slowing down little by little for sleep. He smiled seeing her almost falling asleep before she rolled her shoulders and asked him to go to bed with her. "Of course." Unlike other guys who would hear that and automatically think sex, he knew she meant sleep. He slipped off of the couch with her and let her slide her hand into his own. He loved holding her hand, he really did. He followed her up the steps before letting her climb into the bed on one side as he climbed into the other and nuzzled her cheek softly as the dog jumped up to the bed as well. He honestly didn't mind the dog…as long as it didn't sneeze in his face again, he'd be perfectly content. "Sleep well my love."


	39. Chapter 20 Aly

Hal hadn't expected it to go so easily. He'd expected, worried, that she would come to her senses and tell him that he was a vampire, and she a human with a child to protect. That he wasn't welcome in her life, and that she didn't want to see him again. Perhaps that worry would always be there, but regardless, he was relieved. He felt lucky. He could finally, rightfully, say that she was his.

And perhaps Annie and Tom would finally shut up.

That paled in comparison to the fact that they were now in a relationship.

"What are you giggling about now?" Hal asked with furrowed brows, just a little confused. He looked over at her and gave a miniscule tilt of his head, wondering what was on her mind. He loved her laughter, needless to say, but he would still like to know what she was laughing about. It was pointless to try and see inside the mind of a woman, and so asking was his best bet.

She looked to Hal when he spoke and asked her what she was laughing about. "I was just thinking; since we're together, Emma will probably start seeing you as a father figure and I was thinking about how she may start calling you daddy." She smiled as she rested her head against Hal's shoulder. She looked to him before she smiled and kissed his cheek softly. She knew he probably wasn't expecting the answer that she gave him, she could tell by the look on his face. She moved so she was facing him a little better and gently cupped his face in her hands.

"Hal, I know you think you're a monster because you're a vampire, but I want to make sure that you know that you're not. You have proven you are stronger than any vampire could ever wish to be. You have more control over yourself than they do. You know your natural urges and you find ways to control them. I love that about you and I admire just how strong you are. You have a good heart even though you try to hide it at times, and I want to make sure you know that I love you for who you are. Nothing will ever stop that ok?" She promised him with a soft smile.

Hal tensed when Alycia mentioned that Emma might start to see him as a father figure. That was something that he had not before thrown into the equation, something that he found almost frightening. The poor child would grow up looking at a blood-sucking beast as a father figure? He had been dry for fifty-five yeas, but what if he snapped? What if he snapped when the child was around? Even if he did not kill her, she would still see him tear apart someone else. The thought made his stomach twist into a knot.

She managed to pull him from his thoughts when she cupped his face in her soft hands, and Hal could not help but lean into her touch. He could feel the blood moving through her, he could hear her pulse. But it was her words that caught his attention. "I still believe that you are deluded about just how strong I am. But if it keeps you with me, I would much prefer that you continue that train of thought." Hal said to her, honest about it for once in his life. The selfish thing was keeping her near him, but doing anything else was impossible at that point.

She felt Hal leaning into her hand as she spoke to him softly. "How do you know you're not the one underestimating yourself?" She asked with a smile before she moved forward to kiss him softly on the lips. "I know you will be a good father figure around Emma. She's already taken a liking to you." She knew that the young woman would adore being around Hal and already thought of Annie and Tom as her brother and sister. Alycia smiled and rested her head against Hal's for a moment. "I mean every word Hal. I trust you. Even if it is stupid to trust a vampire, I'd rather be stupid and happy with you than smart and without you."

When she had thought of who she would want to be with growing up, she knew she wanted someone who was a bit more old fashioned than most men her age. They were just too immature and normally wanted one thing from her. Hal was different. He hadn't once made any sexual moves towards her, even though they had shared a bed together, and the couch once. She soaked up the feeling of being around him. She was truly happy. She honestly couldn't see herself with anyone but him.

"You are the most confusing creature on this planet." Hal said to Alycia, shaking his head. His voice was tender, though, fond. He would warn her so many times, but he never wanted her to listen to his warnings. He wanted her to stay with him even if it was stupid, even if it was dangerous. That probably said wonders about his personality, but he didn't quite mind as much as he usually would have.  
"I cannot imagine being with anyone but you." Hal said to her, raising a hand and playing with her hair. It was soft between his fingers and he thought of strands of the finest silk. Though he could hear her pulse and somewhere in the back of his mind he wanted to snap at her neck, he held himself in check. Being that close to her was much easier than it was with other humans, and it was something that Hal appreciated to no end. She was by no means the safe bit of his life, but she was the most precious one he could ever have thought.

As the date got close to its ending Alycia knew they should head back soon. It was getting late and she knew they had quite a ways to walk back to the homes they had next to each other. She didn't care if others from his species thought it was stupid to be in a relationship with a human; they loved each other and they would both protect each other to the best of their abilities. She walked back toward the bed and breakfast and her home with Hal, lacing her fingers with his own as they walked together. "This night was amazing Hal, I'm really glad we were able to do this."

Once they got back to the bed and breakfast Annie smiled at them before she nodded upstairs. "Emma's asleep she uh…she found Hal's room and fell asleep on his bed." Annie explained with a bit of a giggle. Now both Annie and Alycia thought this was cute, but Alycia also knew how Hal was with his room. "Don't worry! I didn't let her touch anything that would upset you." Annie promised. "She was just really tired and I guess she felt comfortable sleeping on your bed." She shrugged a bit as Alycia headed upstairs to check on the toddler.

When they got back to the bed and breakfast, the first thing that Hal noticed was that there was no sign of Emma. He could still smell the child's shampoo, so she was there, but out of sight. At first he wondered if she was playing a game of Hide-And-Go-Seek with Tom. Annie answered his inquiry before he could ask, and his face set into stone. He liked the child, and would protect her just like he'd protect Alycia, but his room was a perfectly organized, perfectly moveable space that he considered a sanctuary. What would happen if a toddler was let loose in there?

Utter chaos.

Hal hurried up the stairs after Alycia, opening the door to his room and immediately slipping in to look around. To his vast surprise, nothing was out of place. Nothing had been touched, nothing except the bed against the wall. There was Emma, curled up in the middle of it. Had Hal been a sentimental sort he would have thought it dear.

Alright.

He did think it dear.

But there was no way in hell he was going to say that.

"I suppose if you don't want to wake her, you can sleep in here and I will take the couch." He offered Alycia, looking over at her.

Alycia walked upstairs with Hal. When he opened the door she couldn't help but smile seeing the little toddler fast asleep on his bed. She giggled a little bit before she looked to Hal when he spoke. He could tell he'd been worried about Emma running loose in his room, but at the same time, Aly was too. She was relieved to see that Emma hadn't messed anything up in Hal's room. "Why don't we head back over to my house, I wouldn't force you to sleep on the couch. I'm sure Emma will be ok here with Tom and Annie until the morning."

Sure she had a bit of a protective streak in her about protecting Emma, but she was doing her best to keep it down; it was just the motherly instinct she had in her to protect the little child. She looked to Hal before she gave him a light smile and kissed his cheek softly. She headed downstairs before she looked to Tom and Annie. "Would you guys be ok watching Emma tonight?" Annie of course happily accepted. "Ok, if anything happens and I mean ANYTHING, just come get me ok?" She was glad they were right next door and she'd be able to get to the house quickly should anything happen.

Hal debated for a moment. It wasn't likely that he'd manage to get any sleep downstairs on the couch, and though vampires didn't technically need to sleep, it was part of his routine. Literally, it was on his list.

This way he'd just be sleeping in a different bed.

"Alright." The vampire answered Alycia, looking over at her. He grabbed pajamas from his closet because it would be relatively uncomfortable to sleep in his trousers and dress shirt, folded them neatly and tucked them under his arm. When he went downstairs Tom and Annie were just agreeing to watch Emma for the night.

Tom, unfortunately, caught Hal's eye and made hand motions in the air that looked either like a slow-motion explosion or a ridiculous dance move. Hal didn't understand until he mouthed 'like a flower'.

"For Christ's sake, I'm five hundred years old." Hal snapped at the werewolf, wrapping an arm around Alycia's waist and hurrying out so that she wouldn't understand what Tom had been mentioning. Hal felt awkward already.

Alycia was glad that Annie and Tom would be willing to watch Emma for her. "Thank you." She smiled before looking to Tom as he made some really weird hand move. Before she could ask what he was doing, Hal wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her out of the house. She giggled guessing that he was teasing Hal as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She unlocked the door to the house before walking in with him. She immediately slipped off the shoes she had on her feet. "I'm not going to wear these for awhile." She rubbed her sore feet before heading upstairs.

"You can use the bathroom to change if you'd like." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before she went to her room to pull out her pajamas. She debated on what to wear but finally decided on something she loved wearing. They were actually gray shorts that had little yellow rubber ducks on them. She ran her fingers through her hair before she found the tank top that went with it. The tank was also gray and had a single large rubber duck in the middle of the shirt. It was colder that night but she'd be curled up next to Hal and under her blankets, so she was sure she'd be fine. She slipped out of her clothes before putting on her comfy pajamas.

"I did warn you." Hal said when she complained about her shoes. Perhaps he hadn't warned her before they'd left, but he had indeed warned her. "Alright." When she went to her room he slipped into the bathroom to change into his pajamas, folding his clothes neatly. He would either ask if he could throw them in the wash there or he would do it the next day when he went back to the bed and breakfast. When he was done changing he did not bother to wait aimlessly for Alycia to finish changing, instead he went to the cupboard, grabbed the broom, and proceeded to sweep underneath the rugs. He couldn't just sweep under the rugs and leave the rest of the floors untouched, though, and so Hal was easily sucked into chores around the house while he waited for Alycia.  
When he was done he went back up the stairs, knocking on the door to her room. "Are you yet finished?" There were things to organize in her room, but that, at least, could wait for a short while.

She playfully stuck her tongue out at Hal before he used the bathroom to change. She brushed her hair out, though it was still a little bit curly as she heard Hal moving around downstairs. She smiled hearing him a few minutes later at the door. "Yeah, come on in." She smiled opening the door for him after a moment. She loved how cute it was that he would do chores while waiting for her. Most guys would get impatient and tell her to hurry up. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before she made her way over to the bed and climbed in with a smile. "What was Tom motioning to you earlier? I was a little curious about that." She spoke honestly.

She had seen Tom making some weird motions with his hands and mouthing something to Hal. She had been a little unsure about asking what exactly he was doing, but she was curious. She moved to cuddle up to Hal as she nuzzled her face into his neck gently. Curling up next to him was becoming something she was getting so used to…it was going to be hard for her not to be next to him when she slept pretty soon. "Sleep tight Hal." She spoke gently. She loved seeing him in relaxed clothes such as pajamas, he really looked much more relaxed.

Hal nearly choked on the air he was breathing when Alycia asked about what Tom had said. He couldn't tell her that. "It was nothing." He lied, climbing into the bed. He tried to keep his gaze on her - and honestly it wasn't usually difficult - but in an effort to keep from needing to explain he looked away and caught sight of the nightstand, where things were just a little askew. He rolled over and fixed them before moving back into a comfortable position, laying his head against the pillow.

"I wish you sweet dreams." Hal said, quietly, turning to press a kiss to her woman's forehead. He didn't sleep deep enough to have dreams, at least not too often. Sometimes, if he was thirsty enough for blood, if he was weak enough, his mind could play tricks on him and he would have nightmares. Vivid, bloody scenes would play out before his eyes and he had learned to be thankful that it wasn't often that he dreamed. Something occurred to him after a moment, a realization that smacked him in the face and made him furrow his brows.

"Are those ducks on your pajamas?"

Feeling Hal kiss her forehead she looked up at him curiously. She smiled at him as she snuggled close beside him and gently ran her fingers over his shirt. She could tell that something was on his mind and looked to him curiously. "You ok?" She asked curiously before she noticed his eyebrows furrow together and giggled at his question. "Yes, yes they are." She giggled kissing him again softly before she nuzzled his cheek softly. "They're my favorite pajamas. I've had them for awhile." She giggled. "That and they're my lucky pajamas." She spoke softly resting her head against his shoulder lightly.

"Have you had them since you were five? Because that's the age it seems they would be suited to." Hal didn't tell her that they were oddly adorable on her, and that even if she wanted to get up to change he would not let her. That would involve her getting up and moving away from him, even momentarily. As much as Hal worried about snapping and sinking his fangs into her flesh, he was equally worried about losing her some other way and he simply didn't like it when she had to leave him - even if it was for something as miniscule as putting on pajamas. Maybe he was, yeah, a little bit possessive.  
"How are they lucky?" Hal asked. He was no stranger to superstition. That was a force that had reigned supreme when he was a child, a human. Things had changed so much in five hundred years, and while occasionally you found a human that was still terrified and throwing salt over their shoulder every five minutes, most disregarded luck entirely. Leo had had a habit of knocking on wood, himself, and it had nearly driven Hal mad.

She looked to Hal as he commented about her pajamas before she stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous because I look so cute in them." She smiled brightly before she snuggled into him a little bit more on the bed, letting her arm rest around his waist. "Well, when I bought them they were the last pair, and when I got home I found $20 in two coats that I almost always wore and remember not putting any money in." She spoke as she looked up at him and smiled lightly running her fingers over his chest. "If you want me to I'll change out of them, I've got different pajamas." She of course was teasing him knowing he could be a bit possessive of her and probably wouldn't let her out of the bed, even if it was to change; but she made the move to climb out of it anyway.

"Yes, because rubber ducks are decidedly cute." Hal drawled, tone dry. He listened to her little story and thought it a sorry reason for anyone to really think pajamas lucky, but he did not say that aloud. His eyes did narrow a little bit when she started to climb out of the bed, and he tugged her back down beside him. Hal wasn't going to tell her, but he didn't want her to leave him even for a moment.  
Besides, he was not objected to how she looked in those pajamas.  
"I suppose that you could try to get up, but it won't do a bit of good." Not with the way he slung his arm over her in order to keep her in place beside him, to bring her a little closer.

She rolled her eyes at his dry tone about her ducks . "I like them." As she tried to climb out of the bed she squeaked when he pulled her back down to lay beside him. She looked to him over her shoulder before she smiled as he slung his arm over her in order to keep her next to him. She liked this side of him. She giggled and turned over so she was facing him as she ran her fingers over his face. "So I'm guessing I'm your little prisoner?" She wouldn't mind being his prisoner one bit. She leaned up and gave him a light kiss on the lips before she gently played with the fabric of his shirt. She decided to surprise him and moved so she was sitting on his lap, pinning him on his back.


	40. Chapter 7 Ady

Adrienne couldn't help but laugh a little when Mitchell whispered to her that George had just gotten in trouble with Nina. Yes, she was definitely starting to like George's new girlfriend. She could keep him in line, and so Adrienne approved. Normally slow songs felt a bit odd to her, because she didn't always like being that close to people. But with him it was a little different. Beyond tolerable, being near him was enjoyable. If she were at all honest with herself about matters like that, it was hard to focus on anything but him in that moment.  
"You really don't smell as bad as I as being led to believe, you know that?" Adrienne said to Mitchell, her lips tugging into a smile. Of course she hadn't thought that he smelled bad in the first place, but she did need something to talk about. At least she hadn't completely stuck her foot in her mouth, a tendency of hers.

Mitchell loved her laugh! The way her face moved when she laughed, the sound she made, he just loved it. He chuckled a bit as he continued to dance with her. He loved taking in her scent, she smelled…unique. Most girls smelled of perfume or flowers or something, but she smelled different. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he knew it was there and he knew he really liked it. He longed to rest his forehead against hers as they danced, but he wanted to make sure she was comfortable with anything they did. He didn't want to scare her off. When she spoke of his smell he blinked and looked to her. "I'm guessing George told you that one huh?"

He knew George would do something like that, but then again he could understand. "Well I'm glad you don't think I smell bad." He chuckled a bit as he continued to dance with her. His eyes were focused completely on her as he held her body close to his own. He moved to gently rest his forehead against her hair as they moved together to the music. This was just perfect to him. He never actually thought he'd find someone where he wouldn't struggle too badly with his thirst. But with her, it was almost as if he felt human again…he liked it.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure that he was attempting to say something that made sense, but it didn't quite end up that way." Adrienne shrugged a little. She still didn't quite understand why George would act like that. He'd always been protective, but she hadn't seen him for three years - and he knew Mitchell. It was hardly anything to get worked up about, and that was coming from her. She'd all but decided that it was nothing, because it as true that George got odd about some of the smallest things. Sometimes.  
They were close, even closer now that he'd rested his forehead against her hair. Usually by that point she'd be getting antsy. She'd step away or she'd find a reason to get irritated. But not with him, which surprised her. She liked it.  
She blamed that glorious accent of his.  
The song ended, and she walked with him to one of the tables so that they could talk. She liked talking with him. Besides, maybe George would stop looking over at them - honestly, the man should just pay attention to his girlfriend before Nina got upset with him.

As the song continued Mitchell continued to dance with her. He just chuckled when she explained about how George had come up with that. "That's George for you." He chuckled a bit as he continued dancing with her. He was surprised when she didn't pull away when he rested his forehead against her hair. He could take in her scent and just enjoyed it. Hearing her heart beat…what normally would send a burning to his throat, instead just made him feel…somewhat human again as he danced with her. She of course had no idea that he wasn't human, and he wasn't about to spill the secret and scare her away. But maybe in time.

As the song finished he walked with her over to the tables so they could sit and chat. He picked up some drinks for them on the way and handed her one of them as he took a seat with her. Thankfully Nina seemed to get George's attention for the most part…he'd still look over at them now and again. "Bet you ten dollars George isn't getting lucky tonight." He chuckled a bit shaking his head. "At this rate I'm surprised she hasn't gotten madder at him. He'll really have to kiss up to her to make her forgive him if he pisses her off too much." He spoke before he grinned and took another sip of his drink. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"I don't know, if she's going out with George then she must have fallen for the annoying little quirks. Without variables the chances should be around thirty-seventy, not in his favor." Adrienne said, judging the circumstances by the way Nina was looking at George. Well, Mitchell would probably have won that bet if she'd decided to take it, because it didn't look as though George was doing the best job of paying attention to his girlfriend. Had she been holder of more of a conscience, she might have felt bad about it.

But it really wasn't her fault that George was a nutcase, now, was it?

At least it wasn't as bad as earlier in the evening, that had to count for something.

The redhead sipped at her drink, and nodded when Mitchell asked if she was having a good time so far. "Quite. You aren't half as bad as I expected you to be." She teased him.


	41. Chapter 21 Ady

Adrienne gave a smile when Mitchell nuzzled her cheek, curling close to him. He was relatively warm, and she was distinctly tired after having been awake for so long without caffeine. That was not something that she would be repeating any time soon, needless to say, and it was likely the first thing she did the next morning would be to make coffee - probably about four pots for the day, if past calculations were any sort of proof.  
"You too, Pigeon." The girl murmured with a little smile. It didn't take long for her to start to doze off, and it took even less time for Ceasar to decide that he wanted more room. The dog spread out and took up about half the bed, laying on both her and Mitchell in the process.  
That was one of the cons to having a big dog - they usually thought that they were still the size of puppies, and this one most definitely wasn't.

Mitchell chuckled hearing the nickname she kept calling him. He'd have to think up something for her, but he wasn't sure what he would call her. It had to be something unique. "Honey" "doll" all those other basic names were used way too often, this name for her had to be different and as unique as she was. He lay down with her on the bed and began to drift off a bit; even as Ceasar decided he didn't have enough of the bed and tried to get himself comfortable laying on both of them. He couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head lightly. He knew sleep would find them all soon enough.

When the next morning came around, Mitchell woke before her and slowly slipped out of the bed. He headed downstairs and started up some coffee for her, knowing how she was with her coffee, and he fed the cat, even though the cat hissed at him, and the dog before heading back upstairs to curl up on the bed with her. He wanted to make her life easier in any way that he could.

Adrienne was sitting up by the time Mitchell came back up the stairs, looking a little confused. She had a morning routine, and she could hear Ceasar eating downstairs, which meant that Mitchell had done part of it - which meant that she was free to lay there for a few minutes, at least. She wasn't used to that. She was used to stumbling half-asleep down the stairs to feed the animals and down herself in coffee so that she was awake enough to shower and get ready for work.  
"Did you just feed the dog? My God, you're perfect." The redhead mumbled, wrapping her arms around Mitchell's midsection and burying her face in his chest when he climbed back into the bed.

She would have a normal life without him, no doubt. Hal didn't say that because he didn't want her to think that, he didn't want her to have any sort of reason to leave him. Even if it was miniscule, he wanted to keep any and all excuses out of her reach. He was much, much more comfortable that way - because, honestly, he was still worried about their new relationship. He was a vampire, one that often found it difficult to control his urges. Compared to him she was soft and vulnerable, and it would be so easy to think of her as prey.  
He was reassured by the knot that formed in his stomach when his thoughts started to darken. Hal pressed a kiss to the female's forehead before he let his body relax. It did take a long while for Hal to fall asleep, but when he did it was a light sleep, and that was perhaps the best kind that a vampire could have. It was free of any nightmares or delusions, too, and that was nice.

Adrienne was sitting up by the time Mitchell came back up the stairs, looking a little confused. She had a morning routine, and she could hear Ceasar eating downstairs, which meant that Mitchell had done part of it - which meant that she was free to lay there for a few minutes, at least. She wasn't used to that. She was used to stumbling half-asleep down the stairs to feed the animals and down herself in coffee so that she was awake enough to shower and get ready for work.  
"Did you just feed the dog? My God, you're perfect." The redhead mumbled, wrapping her arms around Mitchell's midsection and burying her face in his chest when he climbed back into the bed.

Mitchell grinned at Adrienne when she asked him if he'd fed her dog as he climbed into the bed with her. "And the cat, and started some coffee for you." He chuckled feeling her arms around him as he kissed her hair softly and ran his hand through her hair. She was truly a beautiful person and he loved seeing her in the morning. He could easily get used to waking up beside her. He stroked her cheek softly before giving her a light kiss on the forehead as she buried her face into his chest.

"Mmmm well you're lucky that I'm all yours." He nuzzled her face gently before he lay in the bed with her for a few more moments. She was truly perfect for him. He wanted to talk to her about moving in with them…but he wanted to talk to George, Annie and Nina first before he just jumped in and said "Hey, Adrienne's moving in with us." That wouldn't end well probably and he wouldn't want them mad at him.

"You're amazing." Adrienne mumbled into Mitchell's chest when he said that he'd also fed the cat and started coffee. She didn't quite know what in the world she'd done to deserve him. He was just, well, he was near perfect. There was no two ways around it. Admittedly in his past there was enough bloodshed to fill the pacific ocean, and she should have been put off by that. She should have been scared. But he wasn't scary, and she didn't care. She trusted him.  
She lay there with him for a few moments longer before finally pulling herself up out of bed, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth before she gathered her clothes for the day and headed into the bathroom to get ready for work.

Mitchell loved the fact that his love could look past his well, past, and still love him as he was. He adored it. He truly wondered what he'd done to deserve such an amazingly loving person as her. He smiled feeling her lips against the side of his lips before she climbed out of the bed. He kissed her softly after a moment. He chuckled as she headed to the bathroom to get ready to go to work. He smiled and decided to make her a little something to eat before he headed home so she could work.

He collected some things and made her a quick little breakfast when she came downstairs. "Hey, got you some food for you." He smiled and kissed her softly on the cheek letting her sit down to eat. "Would you like me to stay around or come back after work? Maybe we can watch some more tv or something." He smiled at her lovingly running his finger over her face. "you…you are so amazing…I feel so blessed to be around you."

Adrienne brushed out her hair, threw on clothes for work, and did her makeup. It didn't take too terribly long. She had a perfect little routine down for it, one that whittled away a miniscule amount of time. Granted, she probably should have taken a bit longer, because when she was downstairs Mitchell had already thrown together a breakfast for her and she couldn't use the excuse that she was late.  
Honestly, her stomach just didn't like food in the mornings. Coffee was her usual breakfast.  
"You're lucky that you're adorable." The redhead told him with a sigh and a little smile. She did eat a bit just to appease him, and nodded at his suggestion of coming back over after she was done with work. She didn't have anything else to do that day, and even if she had she would have chosen to spend time around him instead.

Mitchell had put together a quick little breakfast for his love. He smiled when she took a bite of it. "Sorry if my cooking's not the best; I'm going to try to work on my cooking but so far I have no idea what I'm doing really." He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as she called him adorable. "As are you my little butterfly." He whispered against her ear. He hoped to be able to see her after she got out of work. "I have a question I want to ask you once I've had a chance to talk to Annie and George and Nina." He smiled at her lovingly. "Have fun at work my love."

It would have been a big fat lie to say that his voice that close to her ear didn't send shivers down her spine. It didn't help knowing that he could probably hear her heartbeat accelerating - that was just embarrassing. "Alright." She said, though it was unlikely that she'd actually have fun at work. She had a system to program and that was bound to be a pain in the ass. Still, her job was fairly enjoyable, and it gave her room to expand her computer skills.  
"See you later, Pigeon." Adrienne said to Mitchell, pressing a kiss to his lips before she left for work.


	42. Chapter 21 Aly

"Entirely." Hal agreed when Alycia mentioned something about being his little prisoner. Perhaps she didn't realize it, but in a way, she was. Hal thought of her as his - and of course he was now hers as well - and as that he would protect her and keep her safe. Sometimes he might do that in ways that she wouldn't like, or keep her from doing things that she wanted to because they were dangerous. He would do whatever he thought best for her, whatever to keep her healthy and preferably happy. Despite how 'his little prisoner' was a terrible name for it, he never wanted to see her hurt, and he always wanted her to have reason to smile.  
He was more than a little surprised when she suddenly moved to sit on his lap. His head back against the pillow and hair probably a little askew, Hal raised his brows at her. Usually he could discourage that kind of behavior, but the look on her face was enticing, to say the least. "I do suppose that the roles are reversed, now, and it is me that is the prisoner?"

She loved being around Hal, he just made her want to curl up in his arms and never let him go. She had playfully moved so she was now sitting on his waist and pinning him down. She giggled and nodded. "mmmhmm and I don't intend on sharing my prisoner." She teased him a bit as she leaned down to give him a soft kiss on the lips. She loved seeing him surprised, and seeing his hair a bit messed up, she couldn't help but want to see it like that more often. He was truly the best person she could've ever hoped to have fallen in love with. "Hal…you are so amazing. I don't know what I would do without you." She spoke honestly.

She moved from where she was sitting on him to lay beside him on the bed once more as she lay her head against his chest and snuggled into his arms, wrapping the blanket around the two of them so they could drift off to sleep peacefully. Her thoughts went to Emma for a moment who was next door. Part of her wanted to go check up on the little toddler, but another part of her told her that Annie and Tom would take good care of her.

She would have a normal life without him, no doubt. Hal didn't say that because he didn't want her to think that, he didn't want her to have any sort of reason to leave him. Even if it was miniscule, he wanted to keep any and all excuses out of her reach. He was much, much more comfortable that way - because, honestly, he was still worried about their new relationship. He was a vampire, one that often found it difficult to control his urges. Compared to him she was soft and vulnerable, and it would be so easy to think of her as prey.  
He was reassured by the knot that formed in his stomach when his thoughts started to darken. Hal pressed a kiss to the female's forehead before he let his body relax. It did take a long while for Hal to fall asleep, but when he did it was a light sleep, and that was perhaps the best kind that a vampire could have. It was free of any nightmares or delusions, too, and that was nice.

A few days passed and Alycia had asked Hal to watch over Emma for her while she went grocery shopping. It was hard to go grocery shopping with the little girl while carrying groceries on her own. Emma was running around the Bed and Breakfast looking over at Annie who was smiling at the little girl. She loved playing with Tom who was willing to play with the little girl. Emma found the remote that worked the stereo and sat down in front of it pressing randomly at the buttons as she giggled excitedly hearing what the buttons did to the music that was being played.

After a good ten minutes Emma moved over to where Hal was and moved to rest her head against his lap as she looked up to him after a few moments putting the remote down beside him. "I wove oou daddy." She whispered softly as she snuggled into his lap and slowly began to drift off to sleep listening to the music that was playing. Tom and Annie both just smiled at Hal hearing what little Emma said. "That. Was. The. Cutest. Thing. Ever." Annie squealed slightly as she giggled clapping her hands.

Hal, who had finished going through and organizing the entire sitting room not moments ago, was finally sitting down on the couch. His classical music was playing, but it was not as peaceful as it usually was. That was the sole fault of the little toddler in the room, who had found the remote and pressed random buttons. Several times hard rock blared from the speakers, setting his teeth on edge. He wanted to get up and snatch the remote from the little girl, but somehow his heart had softened enough over its time with Alycia that he could not bring himself to do so.  
After ten painstakingly long minutes of watching her fiddle with the control to the stereo, Hal's brows furrowed together and he wondered why in the world she was walking over to him. Then he was confused as to what even a child's reasoning could be for snuggling into his lap like that. He had always been under the impression that children were intuitive, and they generally knew when there was a threatening presence around. Even if it was a vampire that loved the child - not that he would say it - a vampire was still dangerous.  
And then she called him 'daddy'.  
Hal's jaw dropped for a single moment before it snapped back into place, his face tense and soft all at the same time. He couldn't quite bare to wake the child, and so simply laid a hand on her head while she slept.  
"Don't you have tea to make or something?" He snapped at Annie.

Emma curled up with Hal on the couch as Annie just smiled at Hal seeing his reaction to the little girl that was asleep in his lap. A few minutes later, Alycia made her way back into the house, putting away the groceries before she went next door to pick up Emma. She wondered how Hal did on his own with her. She knew that Emma adored Hal and Tom as well as Annie and loved being over at their place. She knocked on the door before she walked in and smiled seeing Hal on the couch.

"Hey, how was she?" She asked curiously before she moved over and smiled seeing the little toddler fast asleep in his lap. She smiled and moved over to sit next to him before she gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you for watching her for me. It made it much easier to get the grocery shopping done. And as I promise, I stopped at a thrift store before I went shopping and got you the worst conditioned spoons." She smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek pulling them out of the bag she had to give them to him. "here you go." She giggled a bit looking to the sleeping Emma. "When did she fall asleep?"

"She was difficult. She would not stop playing with the remote." Hal said, looking up at Alycia from the spot he sat. Though he complained about the toddler he did not pick her up and give her to Alycia. Instead he let her sleep, his face formed into a distinctly irritable frown even though that was not the extent of what he was feeling. He accepted Alycia's soft kiss, not quite wanting to part from it as soon as she pulled away.  
When the female before him pulled out the old tarnished spoons, Hal's face almost lit up like a child on Christmas. His fingers already itched to start polishing them to perfection - and then, of course, organizing each one meticulously into the silverware drawer at Alycia's house - but he let the toddler stay asleep in his lap.  
"Perhaps fifteen minutes ago." He answered, glancing down at the sleeping child. He could feel the blood under her skin, too, and it frightened him. But it was no worse than with Eve, no worse than with Alycia. He was controlling himself, and even if he were to snap, Tom was there to stake him - and the werewolf had hidden a stake in the cupboard. Thought that no one had noticed, probably, but Hal was not daft.

Seeing the look on Hal's face when she brought out the spoons for him she couldn't help but giggle a bit. She knew ways to get him to be ok with watching the little child who was fast asleep beside him right now. "I'm glad she's doing well with you Hal. I know you're still getting used to the idea of being around kids." She looked to Annie who just smiled at Hal and giggled. "You gonna tell her?" Alycia blinked and looked to Hal a little confused. "Tell me what?" She looked to the dark haired vampires that was itching to go polish the spoons she got him(she could tell). "Did something happen?" She asked a little worriedly before Annie quickly calmed her fears. "Nothing bad! Emma's ok, everyone's ok."

Hal let out an irritated breath through his nose. He didn't like it when Annie butted in like that He was learning to live with it, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed it. "It's nothing." He said to Alycia just as quickly as the ghost calmed her fears. "Your child is just delusional." That wasn't the nicest way to put things, but it was the only way Hal knew how without actually saying that Emma had called him 'daddy'.  
Annie, of course, rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to explain things, but Hal shot her a glare. He would tell Alycia himself, he just needed to figure out the words. "Are all ghosts this drastically irritating, or is it just you?" He asked before turning back to Alycia before Annie could retaliate. He knew the answer to his own question - it was just her. "Your child called me her father."  
"Also said she loved 'im." Tom offered helpfully from where he was holding Eve.


	43. Chapter 22 Ady

Mitchell indeed could hear her heart pick up after he'd whispered into her ear. He left with her, after saying good bye to her dog so he could head back to the house. He was planning on talking to George and Nina before going to work that night. He was hoping to get off at a decent time so he could lay in bed with Adrienne again. He was working a middle of the day to some night shift. It wouldn't be too horribly late thankfully. He made his way back to the house with a smile on his face as Annie stood there excitedly. "Before you even ask, no we didn't do anything. We cuddled and watched some tv and then we went to sleep." He explained knowing what Annie had thought that he had done.

Adrienne's day at work was fairly busy. She programmed and helped her coworkers figure things out, for the most part. The system she was working with was a complicated one and she had to backtrack several times to fix things. Admittedly she ingested more coffee than she should have while doing it, but that was normal. Her body was completely addicted to caffeine because of it, but that was fine and dandy.

By the time she was done, it was nearly time to leave. She worked on some of the smaller projects while she was still there, then finished her coffee and began to head home. She figured that Mitchell was at work or at the flat that he shared with George, Annie, and Nina, and while he was away she'd probably take Ceasar for a walk so that he didn't get restless later on. It was a pain trying to walk him at night.

Mitchell sat down on the couch before he ran his hand through his hair lightly. "I have a question I want to ask Ady. I want her to move in with us…sleeping next to her last night it….it was just perfect." He spoke honestly before he looked to Annie, continuing on a second later. "But I wanted to check and talk with you all first before I did anything and asked her to move in." he explained. His roommates meant a lot to him, but Adrienne meant a lot to him too. He wanted her near him. Even though it had only been a few short weeks, he was addicted to being around her…she made him feel more alive than he had in years.

Adrienne got home with time to spare. She took off her blazer and hung it on the door handle of her closet, but didn't bother changing out of her other clothes. "Ceasar, time for a walk." She called, and the dog was at the door in moments, his tail wagging so fast that it almost couldn't be seen. She laughed a little and got his leash before heading out on a walk. It wasn't late, and she didn't quite know when Mitchell would later be over - or if he just had a late shift and needed to work. Either way she knew that she'd see him soon, be it that day or the next.

Honestly, the redhead had not looked forward to being around someone so much in a very long time. She'd never been one to date that often, but it seemed that she usually picked the wrong guys when she did. Not Mitchell, though. No, he was a puzzle, a treasure.

Mitchell had talked to George, Annie and Nina about the possibility of her moving in. Yeah she'd have to have her dog and cat move in with her too, that Mitchell expected, but he wanted to be around her more often, and this way he could still be near his friends, as she was becoming friends with Annie and Nina as well, and still be able to be with her. George wasn't too thrilled about the idea of the cat living there with them, but finally he'd sighed and agreed that he would be ok with Adrienne moving in with them. Truth be told he'd be happy to see her more often, especially now since she knew his secret. Mitchell grinned and after going to work, made his way towards Adrienne's house to ask her question.

Adrienne had finally come back from her walk with Ceasar, fed the animals, and downed another half pot of coffee before Mitchell showed up. She let him inside with a smile and a kiss. "How was work, Pigeon?" She asked. She'd always hated hospitals. They were sparkling white, morose, and no matter how much lemon-scented cleaner they used it was impossible to cover up the stench of sickness. But even if he didn't have the most appealing job in the world, working in a hospital had to bring with it some interesting stories. Sometimes.  
Besides, she'd be glad just to hear that he had a good day.

Mitchell walked into Adrienne's house after she welcomed him in. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips as well and smiled brightly. "It went well! I had a bit of a talk with Annie, George and Nina before I came over though." He spoke before he smiled and moved to give her a hug and another soft kiss. He hoped that she would say yes to the question he had for her. "I asked them how they felt if you were to move in with us. Of course George wasn't too thrilled that your cat would be moving in as well, but for the most part he was ok with it." He smiled before he gave her a soft smile and kissed her hands. "So I have to ask you…Adrienne, would you move in with us?"

Adrienne was a little distracted by Mitchell's kisses, and so it took a moment for his question to sink in. Her brows furrowed a little, and while she wasn't speechless, she did take a moment to figure out whether or not he was serious. When his expression didn't change it became obvious that he was. "No."  
Well, that sounded terrible without explanation, so the girl expounded.  
"We haven't been dating that long, Mitchell, it just doesn't seem like a great idea yet." It was true, they hadn't been dating for very long. They'd known each other for perhaps a month, and they'd been going out for possibly a week and a half, two weeks?

Mitchell blinked looking to her when she finally answered his question. He felt hurt…his eyes would give it away a bit as he looked to her when she explained that they hadn't been dating that long and it didn't seem like a great idea yet… While part of him understood what she meant, another part of him was upset that she'd said no. "I see." He wasn't too sure what to do now honestly, he had hoped and honestly expected her to say yes…to agree to move in with him but…she had just kinda shot down what he thought was going to happen. "I mean Adrienne you're who I've been looking for for thousands of years now! I mean! To find someone that I don't want to kill is…is something I've been dying to find ever since I was changed." He explained.


	44. Chapter 22 Aly

Alycia looked to Hal when he said that Emma was delusional. "Seriously Hal?" She shook her head for a moment before Annie almost interrupted before he spoke and explained about how Emma had called him father. "You mean daddy right? She doesn't really know how to say father yet." She spoke softly before she shook her head and giggled. She looked to Tom when he spoke and explained how Emma had said that she loved him too. "Awe that's so sweet." She smiled looking to the little girl before she looked to Hal. "Children are very intuitive and if she feels this safe around you Hal, that's enough proof to me that you are going to be a good father figure for her." She gave him a light smile and lay her head against his shoulder lightly. She could see the adorable little girl was fast asleep against Hal and didn't seem like she wanted to leave her spot by him.

Hal would not bring himself to say 'daddy'. He just couldn't. The word was too childish for him, something that he couldn't form without sounding as if he'd dropped half of his brain onto the carpet. "Perhaps you think it's sweet now, but I think that it is deluded and dangerous." Hal said to Alycia, but even he could not hide the small smile on his face as his fingers tenderly stroked the child's hair. He already thought of Alycia as his own, his person to protect, and by extension that meant that Emma was as well.

"Just keep her away from the remotes." He said to Alycia when she lay her head on his shoulder, pressing a kiss to her hair. Annie was looking at them with a smile that was so fixed on her face it looked like she was going to explode, and Hal, for one, did not quite like it. If she exploded it was likely that he would have bits of ghost all over his clothes and that simply wouldn't be acceptable.

Alright, that wouldn't happen.

Alycia rolled her eyes hearing what Hal said as she rested her head against his shoulder. "You also said my not being scared of you wasn't the smartest thing. But I'm not, and Emma thinks of you as a father. Honestly, I'd rather have you as a father figure to her than some jerk." She spoke honestly feeling his kiss to her hair. She adored being so close to him and she could see how loving he was to Emma. She looked to him after he said to keep the remotes away from the young girl. "Yeah, she did that over at the house to, I don't mind, I think it's just her way of exploring things around her." She spoke honestly as she saw the smile Annie had on her face. She knew that Annie was happy for Hal, and she was happy too that their bond had become so strong. What she didn't know, was that that very bond would be put to the test very soon.

"Her way of exploring the things around her is pushing random buttons and making me listen to screeching music from whatever radio station the channel happens to land on?" Hal asked, raising his brows. He shouldn't be complaining and he knew that, because he could have taken the remote away from the child. But he hadn't had the heart, and she'd looked quite happy while playing with the remote. His routines were slowly being flushed down the drain, and while the thought was terrifying, it did not upset him as much as it could have.

Though he was, admittedly, still itching to go polish the spoons that Alycia had brought back for him.

A few hours passed and Alycia had brought Emma back over to the house after she woke up from her nap. Emma waved happily to Annie and Tom as she left and looked to Hal resting her head on Aly's shoulder. "Daddy come wiff?" She asked curiously looking with her big brown eyes at Hal. Alycia smiled knowing that Emma loved Hal very much already and thought it was adorable that Emma had called him daddy. It made her heart swell in her chest as she hugged the little girl. She looked to Hal after a moment. "It's up to you. I'm probably going to prep her dinner if you'd like to polish the spoons I got you." She smiled at him lovingly knowing that most his routines were gone because of her and Emma…but he seemed ok with it…a little.

Hal was still unsure of his feelings about the child calling him 'daddy'. He was not her father. Certainly some sort of a father-figure, but then again, he didn't babysit nearly as much as Tom or Annie. The most he did was let her play with the remote when he was supposed to be listening to his classical music (and, apparently, he also let her nap on his lap).

He thought about staying, about re-organizing his room for a second, third, and fourth time that day. But instead he chose Alycia once again - but of course he used the spoons as an excuse. "I will." He stated, tone simple as he went and got his coat, shrugging it on before he opened the door for Alycia and Emma. It was quickly becoming clear that Hal could not pass up spending time with them, regardless of whether or not there were things to do.

He wasn't so sure he liked that. What if his routines fell apart and he stopped being able to manage his condition well enough?

A few days later, Alycia was cleaning up the house and letting Emma play upstairs in her room while she was trying to figure out how to tell Hal about her family coming to visit. She ran her hand through her messy hair slightly as she worked on cleaning up some of the dishes from that morning. "Hal…my parents are coming over…along with my brother to visit tomorrow." She tested it out verbally not sure exactly how to tell him. She dried her hands after finishing up the dishes. "Guess what, my family's coming to visit and they want to meet you!" She sighed thinking it sounded stupid as she headed upstairs to check on Emma. "God I hope my brother and Hal don't try to tear each other's throats out."

Hal had been over at the bed and breakfast, getting through his routines easily. He had not long ago gotten back from the diner, it took even less time for Annie to thrust a loaf of banana bread into his hands to bring over to Alycia. Apparently the ghost had been baking again - and she was looking for any excuse to let Hal spend time with Alycia. It was appreciated, in a way, but also very annoying.  
Hal did need time to do the hovering, after all, otherwise the living room floor would be dirty again.  
He pursed his lips but headed over to Alycia's house anyway, deciding that there was plenty over there for him to work. on. Maybe the cupboard needed to be cleaned again. He knocked on the door, then stuck his head inside. "Alycia?"

Aly heard Hal arrive after a few minutes of playing with Emma. "Upstairs!" She called out of Emma's bedroom door before she smiled at the toddler who was dressed up in a little pair of sparkling jeans and a red long sleeved shirt. Aly looked to Hal when he came up the steps and gave him a soft smile. "Hey. Care to join us?" She knew that Emma adored Hal and would often go straight to the door in the morning expecting to go see him. She honestly thought it was adorable that the little girl had grown so close to Hal after such a short amount of time. "I um…I actually have some news." She spoke as he sat down beside her and Emma giggled running over to sit in his lap as she looked to her mom. "My parents and older brother are coming to visit tomorrow, I'd like them to meet you."


	45. Chapter 23 Ady

"Mitchell, don't exaggerate. You're only a hundred and seventeen." Adrienne said before she could help herself - and that was the reason that arguments with her tended to continue. She made little corrections that in other circumstances might have been seen as endearing, but in times of tension tended to get under people's skin. "And you shouldn't use 'dying to find', it sounds like a really bad pun."

Honestly, his age should have let him onto how short a time two weeks was. "You know I love you, but statistically speaking, most relationships don't last. It's been two weeks, moving in with you - just, no." Not yet. She probably sounded a lot harsher than she meant to. She meant that most relationships hit a rough spot after a large step was taken, and it was too soon to take that step now. Of course it hadn't come out that way.

Ok Mitchell had exaggerated but damn it he was trying to make a point! He sighed honestly a little annoyed at what she was saying about how he'd used a pun when he hadn't even meant for it to turn out that way. He looked to her when she spoke and said that she loved him and said how most relationships didn't last. "Statistics don't' take into account vampires. When a vampire cares for someone they will do anything to protect them and be with them." He spoke seriously knowing she probably wasn't meaning to come off so harsh but it was still rubbing him the wrong way. "I thought maybe it would be a good idea to ask you to move in but maybe it wasn't." He sighed irritated and wanted to walk out, but part of him was being held back.

Adrienne rolled her eyes when Mitchell said that statistics did not account for vampires. Considering the things he'd told her about vampires during their conversations, that didn't really apply to them. Just to him. She didn't need to say anything, her expression probably held more skepticism within it than an actual statement. But she did anyway. "Yes, because vampires are just the most loving little things in the world."

She should have just bit her tongue and shut up, because she didn't want to argue with him. It was just happening.

"Would you stop being a baby?" She asked when he gave an irritated sigh. "I don't want to move in with you, it's hardly anything to get offended about." At least, in her mind it wasn't. Especially when they'd only been going out for a couple weeks.

Mitchell gave her a bit of a glare when she'd said her smart ass little statement. Ok yeah that got on his nerves. "I'm not acting like a baby. I went through a lot to even have them ok with the idea of having another person in the house, all for nothing." He sighed annoyed. He knew he'd have to get out of there soon or he'd be afraid he would snap. "Look, I've got to go ok? If I don't clear my head right now….I don't know what's going to happen and I really don't want to hurt you by accident ok?" He turned and left heading back to the house then debating on if he should go there or find somewhere else to go to really clear his head before he went back to the house…He didn't want to snap at Annie or George or even Nina because of his bad moon…a walk would hopefully help.

"And maybe if you'd have thought it through you'd realize that it was insane and a quest that you shouldn't have started out on anyway." Adrienne immediately said. Open mouth, insert foot - yeah, that was pretty much her life. "Ooh, terrifying." The girl muttered sarcastically when Mitchell stood to leave.  
Case and point, she really needed to work on communication.  
But she didn't see how he could have thought that after two weeks she'd just drop her flat and move in with him. For Christ's sake, he was asking her to live with a bunch of supernatural creatures, and she was just getting used to their relationship! She shook her head and sighed, listening to the door close after him. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, looking down at the dog who was laying on the kitchen floor. "Well, I fucked that up, didn't I?"  
Ceasar, because he was a dog, did not reply.

Mitchell left ready to snap but he knew he had to control himself. He didn't want to hurt her…even if she honestly pissed him off more than most right now. He headed towards the park he knew would be abandoned by now. He found a spot that was under a tree as he sat down and looked around. He sat down under the tree as he put his head between his hands trying to calm himself down. He could feel the familiar burn at the back of his throat and it was taking all of his control not to hurt anyone with any blood running through their bodies. He stayed there until it was about 11 PM before he headed back to the house. He would probably just head straight up to the room and try and sleep…though it would feel off without having Ady in his arms….

Adrienne thought about calling over to see if Mitchell was back at his flat already, but that thought left as soon as it had appeared. From her experience, men rarely wanted to compromise. They wanted you to come around and see things their way, even if they were completely wrong. Which, of course, he was. There was no way that she could move in after dating him for two weeks. It was madness - he'd lived for more than a hundred years, he had to know how short two weeks really was.  
The girl ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Well, they'd both have time to cool off, anyway, because she had a terribly busy schedule at work over the next few days.

Mitchell made it back to the house before he sighed and went straight upstairs. He was off of work for the day and would work the next night until about 10PM. He'd probably just come straight home, listen to some music or watch tv. He wanted to be by Adrienne again as he lay on his bed and let his mind wonder. Maybe she was right about the fact that they were dating too short of a time to move in together. He wanted everything to work out…and maybe they just weren't ready for such a step. He ran his hand over his hair before he tried to force his mind to shut up so he could sleep through the nice and try to clear his mind.

Adrienne had a schedule full of work the next two days. After that, she went on a trip. Not so much as a trip as a week-long visit at her brother's house. She hadn't heard from Mitchell during the days that she was working, and so she figured it a good time to just get away for a little while. She'd talk things out with him when she got back, but it wasn't something that she was looking forward to - as previously shown, she had an awful tendency to stick her foot in her mouth whenever she happened to be in a tense situation.  
So she'd left without telling him. That was probably an asshole move on her part, but she hadn't known how to explain the impromptu trip. 'Hey, I got sick of you and so I need a week off' didn't sound remotely comforting, let alone correct. She wasn't sick of him. She just didn't know what to say.  
At least she hadn't tried to drown him in grape Kool-aid.  
That was a plus, right?


	46. Chapter 23 Aly

"Alright." Hal said, moving into the room and sitting near Alycia. "Annie sent over a loaf of banana bread. It's on your counter." The counter that he had quickly wiped down before heading up the stairs, but he left that part out. Emma, of course, ran over to him almost immediately and sat on his lap. He, a little awkwardly, patted the child on her head. He still wasn't used to being around children, and, honestly, he liked it better when she was asleep. All the same, Emma was quickly becoming like a daughter to him.

Even if he was quite awkward about being a father figure.

"What news?" Hal's worries shot through the roof almost immediately. 'News', to a vampire, was always a bad thing. But those worries came down slightly when she explained. "Your family. Why -" He had been alive for more than five hundred years. His own family was long forgotten. At first he wondered if he had to meet them, but then he realized that if Pearl and Leo were still there, he would have wanted Alycia to meet them. So he nodded, though his lips pursed a little.

Seeing Emma crawl into Hal's lap she couldn't help but smile at the little girl as he patted her on the head. She knew Hal wasn't used to being around kids very much, but he was doing really well around Emma. She told him the news about how her family was coming to visit. "Well, they haven't been able to see me much since I moved, and I did tell them about you, just that you and I were dating and that you lived next door. My mom thought it was cute." She giggled a bit before she kissed Hal's cheek lightly. "Thank you, my brother's a vampire too so please please please try to be nice to each other? Even if it's just for a little while." She hoped that they would be able to act civilized during the visit.

Hal didn't like the way Alycia was specifically warning him about her brother. It meant that she thought they wouldn't get along, and that meant that they probably wouldn't get along. Hal wasn't good at getting along with people that he didn't get along with. "I give you my word." Little did Hal know that would be his stupid decision of the week.

"When are they arriving?" That seemed the next logical question to ask, and he glanced down at her while he waited for an answer. She was quite beautiful, and the way she looked at him made him as happy as any vampire could be. He liked it when she directed a smile at him, it made him feel less like a monster, less like a predator.

She had a feeling her brother and Hal probably wouldn't get along but she could only pray that she was wrong. "They're arriving tomorrow afternoon." She explained. She knew her parents would be excited to see her again and excited to meet Hal, the man that'd caught her attention so quickly. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and giggled as Emma climbed out of Hal's lap and made her way over to where her toys were and pulled out a pink glittery tiara before she moved to place it on his head before plopping herself back down in his lap. Aly couldn't help but laugh at the expression he had after the girl had put the brightly colored tiara on him. "Hal, she's just playing with you, she's sharing, you should be proud of her." She couldn't help but keep giggling a bit.

Hal watched as Emma made her way over to the toys and got a tiara. He'd imagined that she was going to put it on her own head, but apparently he was wrong in his guessing. Hal's expression nearly shut down when the child set the stupid glittery thing on his head.  
"Alycia. Your child just -" He could not finish his sentence. He could not get over the simple fact that he was wearing something meant for a young girl, a toddler, someone new and young. He was not new nor was he young, and he was by no means a girl. Had Hal been a robot, his wires would have been short circuiting. He had been in countless battles, murdered countless beings of many different species, lied and cheated, carried a sword, rode on a steed that few could dream of, and lived for five hundred years.

But a child could still plop a pink tiara on his head.

As glitter fell onto Hal's hair and face, he said weakly, "I had a shield."

Aly couldn't help but start laughing when Hal had spoken about how he had a shield. "I swear to you Hal I am going to buy you a shield." She giggled shaking her head a bit before she gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Thankfully the next day came fairly quickly and Aly had made sure that the house was all prepped for the visit from her brother, mother and father. She smiled excited as Emma ran around her legs excitedly dressed in an adorable little green and brown polka dot dress. "OK Emma, you want to go sit next to Hal on the couch?" She asked curiously as the little girl giggled and nodded as she ran over to where Hal was on the couch and climbed up into his lap.

Soon Aly's parents knocked on the door and Aly quickly moved over to the door and opened it. "Hey mom! Hey dad!" She hugged both of her parents happily before Eric grinned and hugged his little sister tightly. "Hey squirt!" He grinned messing up her hair a bit before they walked inside the house. "Mom, dad, Eric, this is Hal, my boyfriend, and Emma, the little girl I adopted." She smiled at the toddler who happily waved to them. Aly had no idea that her parents knew about what Eric was by now, that would make things a little bit easier…just a little.

Hal's eyes followed the movement of the door, and then the people that walked inside. Her mother and father, and then the one that had to be her brother. The vampire that she'd grown up with, he remembered, and though he knew that it was unlikely Eric would do anything, he kept Emma protectively close - Hal had become very protective over both the toddler and Alycia, and though it was obvious that Eric was no harm to them, Hal was weary.  
"Hello." He said when Alycia introduced them, though he made no attempt at conversation other than that. Emma nearly got Hal in the face when she waved to the people that had come in, and he highly doubted that it was possible to look at all intimidating when there was a toddler almost hitting you in the face. So he settled for pleasant. That was, after all, what he'd promised Alycia that he'd be.  
For the most part.

Eric looked to Hal and slightly glared at him but looked to the little girl in his lap and grinned at her. "Well hello there little Miss. Emma! It's good to finally meet you!" He looked to Hal before he nodded at him. "Hal." Alycia rolled her eyes a bit. "Eric." She warned him before she moved over to sit next to Hal and gave her a light smile on the lips kissing his cheek. She chatted with him and her parents and older brother. She found out that they knew about vampires and she had a feeling that something was going on between Eric and her love. She brushed it off for now and just enjoyed the chatting they had together. Emma happily moved from Hal's lap to Aly's, then back to Hal's. She caught her brother giving Hal a glare now and again and threw him a warning look when she caught him more than once.

Hal didn't like the way her older brother was looking at him. For Christ's sake, he'd saved Alycia from vampires and yet he still had to go through this stereotypical older-brother rundown? He wanted to bare his fangs and hiss, but he knew that it wouldn't frighten the other man. So instead Hal put on a smile, one that was very fake indeed and full of enough sarcasm to fill a stand-up comedy show.  
Hal had promised to be nice. He could have been ripping out her brother's throat, and so this, by comparison, seemed very nice indeed. "So, how long have you been a vampire?" Hal asked that oh-so personal question with the same smile on his face. "Boding well?" It wasn't what he said - yet - it was just the tone of his voice.  
If he had to go through this, he was not going to go willingly.


	47. Chapter 24 Ady

Mitchell had calmed down after a few days and debated on contacting Adrienne but he had decided to give her more of a chance to cool off before he contacted her. He finally decided to check on her after about 4 days of them not talking. She didn't answer after a few knocks and he thought maybe she was out or something. He did his best not to worry about it too much and made his way back to the house. As the days continued to pass by, Mitchell was starting to get more and more worried when she wouldn't answer the door. He rubbed his forehead as he lay on the bed at his house right now. He'd told George he hadn't talked to her in nearly a week now but….George told him she may need some time to cool down…he could only hope he was right.

Adrienne had stayed longer at her brother's house than expected. She'd been there for two days longer than she thought she'd be. The old woman that lived next door was taking care of Ceasar and Edgar for her - the cat actually hadn't tried to kill the old woman, and so naturally she was the best sitter for the animals. When she finally got back the first thing she did, naturally, was to feed the animals and ring the woman next door to let her know that she was back. She looked at her phone and nearly flinched - thirty two messages. Adrienne had left her cell phone at home in an effort to a) not be a terrible guest over at her brothers and constantly on the phone and b) to avoid awkward conversation with Mitchell about why she didn't tell him she'd left. It probably hadn't been her best idea in the world.

Mitchell was practically out of his mind with worry. He hadn't heard from Adrienne in over a week…he'd come up with every scenario in his mind...She could've been kidnapped…but he didn't know where to look…the worst thought that kept coming to his mind was that she could've been in an accident and was killed…he didn't want to think that their last conversation together had been….well an argument. He sat under a large tree actually in a graveyard because he knew no one would really be around there…well no one except dead bodies. Annie had been worried about him since Adrienne had disappeared without a word…even though she tried to help, nothing helped Mitchell's growing worry and withdrawal.

When Adrienne finally gathered enough courage to call Mitchell's flat, George was the one that answered. She hadn't told him where she was going, either, and so - well, he was pretty upset, too. His voice rose several octaves and he practically screeched at her about making them all worry that much. When he finally asked her where she'd been and she answered that she'd just gone to visit her brother for a week, he hung up on her.

She knew that he'd call Mitchell. Honestly, she was afraid to. Not afraid of Mitchell, but of facing how worried she'd made him. If George's screeching had been any indicator, she'd messed up pretty badly. She'd been stupid, and didn't know how to fix it.

So she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch to try and figure it out.

Mitchell thought of what life would be like without Adrienne in his life if she had been killed; and honestly the feeling made him numb. He didn't want to think about it…she had brought such light into his life…such joy…he was happy with her and she….the idea of not having her there…he didn't know if he'd be able to live without having her in his life…He never would've thought he would become so attached to a human when they had met less than a month ago. He sighed and put his head back against the tree before he heard his phone going off. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was George. He ignored the call, not really in the mood to hear his friend ask where he was; but George just called him back…so he ignored the call again…then he called once more and finally Mitchell answered. "What." His undead heart almost started beating when he heard what George said on the other line.

Adrienne sipped at her coffee. The drink had now gone cold, but she didn't get up to get more. She'd thought that the trip would clear her head, but instead getting back from it had done the exact opposite. She felt guilty and stupid and angry at herself - and what was more, Mitchell probably hated her. Had their roles been reversed, she'd hate her. What was she going to say to him? 'I'm a terrible person and I didn't think about worrying you'? No. 'I was going to extremes to avoid awkward conversation that I wouldn't know how to deal with'? Also, no.  
What if he never wanted to talk to her again?

Mitchell was so relieved that she was alive! He had to see her! He made his way through the town quickly as he arrived just outside her home after a few moments. He looked to the house and he could smell her scent there. It filled him with relief as he quickly knocked on the door and waited for her reply. As soon as the door was opened, his arms were around her and he was holding her tightly in his arms, his face buried in her hair. He just held her for a few moments not saying a thing. He'd been so scared of losing her, now she was here wrapped up in his arms. He slowly pulled himself back to look at her as he stroked her cheek gently. "Ady…I thought…I honestly thought I'd lost you…you just disappeared and none of us knew where you were and…" He sighed and just held her tightly. "I'm glad you're ok…." He spoke softly praying to God she didn't want to leave him…he wouldn't be able to live without her…

Adrienne was surprised by the sudden hug, and could only come to the conclusion that George hadn't actually told Mitchell where she'd been. She bit down on her bottom lip as she looked up at him, his relief making her feel even more guilty than his anger would have. She gave him several soft kisses. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going. I just went to visit my brother for a week." She apologized. Ceasar, of course, immediately ran to the door to greet Mitchell, sniffing around his jacket and deciding that the vampire smelled too much like another place for him to enjoy being pet. The dog trotted back into the living room and hopped up onto the couch, taking up the entire piece of furniture.

Mitchell held Adrienne tightly in his arms as he hugged her so happy to see her. He accepted her kisses, relieved to see that she didn't want to leave him. He kissed her back before she explained and told him that she'd gone to see her brother for a week. "I understand, I'm sorry about dropping the bomb shell on you about wanting you to move in and everything…you were right it was too soon." He spoke softly as he stroked her cheeks. He was so happy just to see her. He adored her very much and he missed being able to hold her. "This week without you was hell…I missed you so much." He spoke softly as he stroked her hair pulling her tightly to him once more. He smiled seeing Ceasar decide he smelled too different to be pet right now. He was fine with that, at least he didn't try and bite him.

Why in the world did he have to be so perfect? He was so relieved to see her that she felt terrible, so happy that she was okay that she felt like the most idiotic person in the world. Why did he have to do that to her? "Come on, I'll get you some coffee." She said, just wanting to spend time with him and hold him close. She pulled him inside and got his coffee - two sugars, she remembered easily - and moved with him to sit down on the chair in the living room, seeing as though Ceasar had taken up the couch. She settled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing kisses to his lips and face - honestly she just felt guilty, and she wanted to be near him. "I love you so, so much." She murmured. "I swear I won't disappear again without telling you."


	48. Chapter 24 Aly

"For about ten years." Eric spoke as he looked to the man that his sister was so attached to. Soon the visit ended and Aly hugged her parents and her brother tightly. "I love you guys, don't be shy, feel free to come visit again, I know Emma would love to see you guys again." She smiled down at the toddler who was clinging to her leg and waving to them as they left. She turned back to Hal after a moment and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm proud of you Hal. I know my brother was being really weird but I'm glad you kept your cool." She giggled kissing his cheek softly before she took the cups of tea off of the table and took them into the kitchen to be cleaned. "SO, besides my brother glaring at you, what did you think?" She asked curiously hoping that he'd been ok with the visit.

Besides her brother glaring at her, what did he think? Well, Hal honestly answered the question. "Your parents seem ridiculously attached to you, which is probably because they know that their son is a vampire. Did they seem extra-attentive this time? I have to ask because I've never met them before. And I don't like you're brother. Ten years. He doesn't know anything about it."  
That had been something to get under Hal's skin, too. There he was, more than five hundred years old, and he'd been being sized up by someone who was less than a child to him in comparison. "He's practically an infant." Hal followed Hayley to the kitchen, though, and took the mugs from her so that he could clean them himself - it was a habit, a routine, and something that he liked doing. Besides, it saved her the trouble.

Aly couldn't help but giggle hearing what Hal said as she shook her head slightly. "Yeah, they were a bit more attentive, but it's probably just because of the big life changes that's been happening lately. I mean they just found out about vampires, I've moved to a different place and got a boyfriend and a daughter now, it's a lot in a short time for them." She explained. She looked to him when he spoke of her brother and she was quick to defend her brother. "Ten years so far and he hasn't hurt anyone. He's doing very well for someone who had no other vampire or other supernatural being helping him." She spoke honestly as Emma moved to hug her legs. She could tell the toddler didn't like to see them arguing, even if it wasn't really an argument.

"Ten years is nothing in a vampire's life. I wouldn't be too terribly proud of him yet." Hal said to Alycia, unable to help but roll his eyes at her. He'd been around for more than five hundred years, she had to realize how short a time ten was. Even if she was right about the fact that it was impressive when he hadn't had another vampire to help him along. Hal would be the first to admit that he couldn't have done it without Leo and Pearl, and now Annie and Tom. Though, that was probably because Tom would not hesitate to stake him. Which was an oddly reassuring concept.

Generally speaking.

Hal noticed how the toddler moved to hug Alycia's legs, and narrowed his eyes just a little. He hadn't so much as raised his voice, was this scaring the child or something?

Aly looked to Emma who was hugging her legs. She smiled and knelt down to look at the little girl at her own height. "You ok Emma?" She asked curiously as the toddler nodded and hugged Aly tightly. "No wike fiigh[no like fight]." Aly smiled and kissed her head softly. "Sweetie, we're not fighting, we're just talking ok?" She spoke softly to her before picking her up gently and kissed her cheek before Emma smiled and laid her head on Aly's shoulder as she looked to Hal. "See Emma? We're just talking." Emma nodded before she reached out for Hal to take her from Aly's arm. "Emma heard her parents arguing before she lost them." Aly explained as the little girl was transferred to Hal's arms as the girl curled up close to him and seemed to sigh contented that they hadn't been arguing.

Hal looked over at Emma, perhaps feeling the slightest bit guilty even though things were by no means his fault. He took the child into his arms when Alycia handed her to him, letting the girl curl up close to him and wind her arms around his neck. He nodded simply when Alycia explained that Emma's parents had been lost after an argument. He understood that well enough, though he could not remember his own parents.  
His views did not change on Alycia's brother, though. He was hardly an infant compared to Hal, and the older vampire did not appreciate being sized up and viewed as unfit for Alycia by anyone - even if he sometimes thought himself such.

Adrienne sipped at her coffee. The drink had now gone cold, but she didn't get up to get more. She'd thought that the trip would clear her head, but instead getting back from it had done the exact opposite. She felt guilty and stupid and angry at herself - and what was more, Mitchell probably hated her. Had their roles been reversed, she'd hate her. What was she going to say to him? 'I'm a terrible person and I didn't think about worrying you'? No. 'I was going to extremes to avoid awkward conversation that I wouldn't know how to deal with'? Also, no.  
What if he never wanted to talk to her again?

The next afternoon came around and Aly was playing with Emma while Hal was working on polishing some of the dishes. Aly smiled at her loving boyfriend as Emma giggled and ran upstairs to grab her tiara to play with Aly some more. Alycia giggled before she looked to the door hearing someone knocking on it. She got up from the floor and made her way over to the door before she opened it. Her jaw dropped as she smiled hugging the man standing there. "Matt! It's great to see you again!" She hadn't seen him in what felt like years, well it had almost been a year since she'd seen him last. "Come on in, Matt, this is my boyfriend Hal, Hal, Matt and I used to work together in the pre-school, we did projects with the kids for a few years together." She explained with a smile as Emma came running downstairs. Emma smiled waving to the man standing in the doorway before crawling back up next to Hal.

Hal had heard the door knock, and looked out the kitchen door while he continued to polish the tablespoons that he held. His work slowed and his eyes narrowed a little bit when he saw that it was a man. A human man. One that wrapped his arms around Alycia in a way that Hal most definitely did not like. Immediately his opinion of this man was made, and he set the polished tablespoons one by one into the drawer.  
"Isn't that wonderful." Hal stated, though his voice let on that he didn't think so. He folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes at Matt. He was not at all happy to see him. Perhaps it could have been attributed to a bad mood, but Hal could not think that he'd been upset before this man arrived. Only afterwards. "How amazing. Now, what are you doing here?"  
Visiting, obviously, but Hal didn't like that answer very much. Maybe he was just a little possessive.

Alycia looked to Hal seeing the mood around him lowering a bit but brushed it off for now as she smiled at Matt. "Oh, this is Emma, you remember her? She was just one the last time you saw her." Matt smiled as he knelt down to the child's height. "Well hello Emma, it's good to see you again, you've gotten so big!" He chuckled hugging the small girl before he was introduced to Hal. "I just happened to be in town and figured I'd come by and see how Aly was doing. After all the work we did together with the kids I was hoping to see her again after so long." Aly just smiled. Matt and Aly had been like best friends when they were working with the children, she could tell that Hal already didn't like him, but she tried not to let it bother her. About 20 minutes later Matt had to get going, and Alycia gave him a hug goodbye, as Emma did as well. Aly shut the door and smiled at Emma kissing her forehead. "Why don't you go ahead and put your dolly to bed ok?" Emma nodded and took her doll heading upstairs.

Hal had been inconsolably rude to Matt when the other man was there. He'd said a few things that could have been considered quite insulting, and he was by no means apologetic about it. Honestly, he was thankful when the other man left - it was a stupid thing, but Hal was possessive over Alycia and he did not particularly like sharing her with other people. Could you blame him? He had become paranoid about people trying to harm her.  
"I don't like your friends." He commented after Alycia had sent Emma upstairs, finishing his job polishing the teaspoons and putting them back in the silverware drawer all neat and organized.


	49. Chapter 25 Ady

Mitchell let her pull him inside as he walked with her to the kitchen to get the coffee before he sat down in the chair as she moved to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. He put down the coffee mug and held her close to him as well, burying his face into her neck softly as he took in her scent. "I missed you so much." He let her kiss him as he kissed her back. "I love you too." He spoke softly as he gave her a soft yet passionate kiss on the lips. He didn't want to ever let her go like that again. Sure he could let her go for work and stuff like that, but he couldn't bear to be away from her for that long again if he could help it. He stroked her hair softly as she swore she'd never disappear again without telling him. "I'm glad my love."

Adrienne nuzzled his neck and let her head rest on his shoulder, just sitting there with him. She still felt bad, but that would pass. Eventually she'd talk things over with him - and then, of course, she'd have to talk things over with George. The werewolf was fairly upset at her. Annie probably was, too, but that was to be expected if she'd really caused Mitchell that much worry.

"You know," said the girl after a moment. "I missed your hair." She had. She'd missed running her fingers through his hair and playing with the curls and teasing him about how it could have been an afro in the seventies.

Mitchell smiled feeling her nuzzling into his neck as he held her close to him. He took in her scent as she rested her head on his shoulder and he just held her. For right now he was just going to soak up the feeling of her being with him again. He knew George and Annie may still be upset with her, but right now he was content holding her to himself. He looked to her when she spoke and he couldn't help but smile chuckling a bit. "My hair? OF everything about me you missed my hair." He teased her a bit before he gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He did love her with all of his heart and he knew that she was everything he could ever ask for in a woman. She was his. All his and he wasn't going to share her…at least for awhile.

"Well, it's springy." Adrienne said with a little smirk, tugging gently on one of the curls only for it to pop back up into place. "Which is absolutely adorable." The redhead pressed a kiss to his cheek. She didn't know what time it was, but she didn't have to go into work until late the next day, so she wasn't at all worried about getting to sleep. "Will you stay and watch movies with me tonight?" She asked him, just wanting to be around him after being away from him for so long - even though being way from him had been solely her fault.

Mitchell chuckled hearing what she said as she tugged on one of his curls before it popped back into place. He chuckled kissing her lovingly as he just held her close to him and nuzzled his face into her neck. "Well I'm glad you like it." He couldn't help but grin before he gently stroked her hair and looked into her soft eyes as he gave her a smile. He heard what she'd asked before he nodded. "Of course. I don't know if I could go home tonight. Not after I just got you back in my arms." He spoke kissing her once more before he traced his fingers through her soft hair. "What movies did you have in mind?" He asked curiously. He ordered in some Chinese food for the two of them to eat, it wasn't the healthiest but he didn't want to attempt to cook with no help…he'd rather not almost burn her house down due to his bad cooking. So Chinese food would have to work. He of course paid.

"Okay, don't laugh." Adrienne said when Mitchell asked what movies she had in mind. "Suppose it's not technically movies, but rather shows. You kept saying how funny Laurel and Hardy was, so I rented a couple DVD's on my way back." She informed him, glancing up at him with her blue eyes. She kicked Ceasar off of the couch when Mitchell went to use the phone and order Chinese food, spreading a blanket on it. She liked laying with him on the couch when they were watching television.  
The food arrived and the first DVD was put in, and the lights were turned off. She hopped onto the couch with him, snuggling close and swinging her legs over his lap. "If this isn't amusing I am going to be seriously questioning your taste in media from here on out." She said with a little grin.

"You didn't." He grinned widely hearing her say that she'd gotten some of the DVD's of the group he'd told her was hilarious! He grinned and kissed her softly on the lips before he got up with her to get the Chinese food ordered as she got the couch all set up for them after getting the dog off of it. He smirked and moved to lay with her until the food arrived. Once it did they served themselves up, turned out the lights and popped in the DVD. He grinned letting her snuggle close as she put her legs over his lap. "Oh trust me you'll enjoy it." He grinned brightly watching the show he'd grown to love show on the screen. Of course he was laughing through the video; loving every moment with Adrienne.

She did enjoy it. Adrienne was laughing right along with Mitchell, even if the humor was old fashioned at best. They watched the black-and-white show play out on the screen, and sometimes Mitchell would explain to her why they were doing the things they were doing. He'd lived through that time period, after all, and sometimes she was a little clueless as to what was going on. They ate egg rolls while they watched the show, bursting into laughter every few minutes. It was definitely a pick-me-up, considering how their weeks had gone. Well, Mitchell's week. She still felt so terribly guilty for not telling him, for acting like a child and avoiding telling him just because it might have been awkward. She was glad that he wasn't too upset at her, and she was going to enjoy her time with him.

Sure when she had first left Mitchell was mad thinking maybe she'd run away from him without telling him how he could fix things, then he worried that she'd been kidnapped, then of course he worried about her being killed, but holding Adrienne in his arms right now, he was the happiest he'd been since their fight; which was all but forgotten right now. He smiled seeing her enjoying the show as much as he'd told her she would. He had to explain a few things so she knew what was going on as he grinned and finished up the Chinese food and moved to wrap his arms tightly around her, nuzzling her hair with his nose softly. "I love you my beautiful Adrienne."

Adrienne smiled when Mitchell nuzzled her hair, glancing happily up at him. "I love you, too." She said to him, toying with the nods of his hair. George and Annie would be upset at her for a while, but she'd figure something out to make them better, to make them happy. She didn't know what yet, but she would. The redhead pressed another kiss to the vampire's lips, one that lasted a little longer than normal before she pulled away again to watch the show that was on.


	50. Chapter 25 Aly

She made sure Emma was up the steps before she turned to Hal hearing what he said. "There's nothing wrong with Matt, and you were being extremely rude to him. I'm going to clear this right now there has never been, nor will there ever be, any romantic feelings between Matt and I." She spoke seriously irritated at Hal's attitude towards Matt. She made sure to keep her voice down so Emma wouldn't be able to hear them arguing. "I'm allowed to have friends Hal, outside of you, Tom and Annie. Not everyone out there is a vampire that's going to try and kill me." She rubbed her forehead trying to calm her growing headache just a bit. She didn't want to argue with him, but she couldn't let him be mean to people she knew just because he was being protective of her.

Hal scoffed just a little bit. He knew that he was being unreasonable, yes, but that didn't mean that he wanted to lose this argument - after all, what if something happened, and she trusted someone that was going to hurt her? His social circle had been extremely small for fifty-five years, Hal didn't quite understand what it was like to have friends outside of the supernatural beings that he'd lived with.

"Yes, the hug he gave you indicated that there were absolutely no romantic feelings involved." He was being unfair. "Not everyone is a vampire that's going to try and kill you, but other species can commit crimes as well - or is that something solely to do with my species?"

Alycia felt a defensiveness kick up in her when he'd spoken of the hug she gave Matt. "Are you going to start accusing me of having feelings for Tom if I give him a hug? Seriously Hal? That's all it was. A. Hug." She was getting very irritated at him and he was being very unfair and it was honestly starting to piss her off. She did her best to keep her cool, not wanting to yell with Emma just upstairs and knowing toddlers have very bad habits of listening into arguments. "Hal, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you right now but I don't like this side of you. You should be able to trust me and I've flat out told you many times that I do not think of you or any other vampires as monsters. I have no reason to, but you are acting like a spoiled brat." She'd had enough, she knew she needed to get away from the situation and headed upstairs to get away from him and calm down.

Hal's jaw tensed. This, he supposed, was an actual argument and not just a slightly tense conversation like their last one had been. He didn't raise his voice, but when Alycia started to head up the stairs, he hurried out of the house. Hal didn't want to become too irritated and lose control of himself. He knew that he would regret it for the rest of his existence if he did.  
"Yes, I'm the spoiled brat." Hal snapped as he exited the building, even though he knew that her statement had been correct. He wasn't being fair, he wasn't being remotely reasonable about this. He was getting upset over almost nothing, but that was because he worried so, so much. He worried about losing her, about letting her get hurt. Probably too much.

Alycia managed to calm herself down after about a half hour after Hal left. She put on a happy face and promised Emma…multiple times, that she and Hal were ok, that they just didn't agree with something that'd happened and it wasn't Emma's fault. That night Aly lay down to sleep and curled up alone, actually letting the tears fall down her face after she was sure that Emma was fast asleep. A few days passed when Aly woke up in the morning and felt something was off. She stayed in bed for a few more moments before she climbed out and tossed on her robe over her pajamas which were just sweats. She looked in Emma's room and didn't see her. She blinked a little confused but looked all around upstairs before looking downstairs as well. "Emma?" If she wasn't at the house…she knew the only place Emma could be. She wasn't sure she was ready to face Hal or not yet, but she may as well check to make sure that Emma was there after all. So she got dressed and headed over. Once she knocked and headed inside she looked around. "Is Emma here?" She knew something wasn't right.

It had been several days since Hal talked to Alycia, and he was starting to get anxious. Even his routines were not bringing him much peace, and he wasn't enjoying it, not one bit. He'd started to snap at the customers in the diner, and so few of them had been coming in. Tom gave him a concerned look every time Hal started to ramble, but so far he hadn't lunged across the counter to tear out anyone's throat, so he was doing good.  
When Alycia opened the door, Hal wondered if she wanted him to apologize - which was something that he wasn't going to do. Sure, he'd been unreasonable, but that didn't mean that he had to tell her he was sorry.  
Maybe she was right; he was a spoiled brat.  
But that wasn't what left her mouth, and when he heard what she had to ask his brows snapped together. "No. Isn't she with you?" Immediately Hal became worried. He hadn't seen the little girl since he'd left that night, just like he hadn't seen Alycia.

Aly looked to Hal when he said that Emma wasn't with them. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she looked to him worriedly. "No. She was in her bed last night, but she wasn't there when I woke up…I thought she came over here to see you." She spoke worry starting to fill her body before she ran back to the house and up to Emma's room to see if there was anything to show that the little girl had been taken by someone in the middle of the night. She found an envelope with elegant handwriting with Hal's name on it. "Hal…" She turned and handed him the paper that she'd found. She didn't like this and honestly…she was pissed…not at Hal, but at whoever had dared to take her daughter from her.

Hal smelled vampire the moment he entered Emma's room. He didn't have to see the envelope with the elegant writing on it, he didn't have to look at Alycia to know what was going through her mind. "Give it to me." He said, taking the envelope from her and opening it. Vampires were not above putting things in the letters that were dangerous, and he wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to get hurt. He opened the letter and started to read it out loud.  
They didn't have to read it to know that it was vampires, but Hal desperately needed to know where they'd taken the child - and the look on Alycia's face was almost frightening to even him.

Alycia looked to Hal when he took the envelope she'd passed to him before he opened it and started to read it out loud. "Hal, You drove us to do this. We tried to warn you that you should join us sooner but you chose to ignore our invitation. So now your dear little daughter must pay for it. If you would like her back, meet us at what once was the city hall. Tick Toc. You mustn't keep us waiting…or we may have to create a new member. ~Alec, Kyle, Demitri." Alycia was nearly seeing red, but she had to force herself to stay calm…for now. "Where is it." She looked to Hal ready to go out there herself and beat these vampires to death herself. She quickly headed downstairs determined to go to the location Hal just gave to her to get her daughter back and beat the crap out of those vampires for taking her.

Hal rushed after Alycia, putting a hand on her arm. "No, no - you're going to stay here. I don't want them to hurt you, do you understand?" He asked. He would get Emma back, he would save her and make everything better - but Alycia needed to stay out of danger. She needed to stay away from the vampires, away from people that could harm her because Hal didn't know what he'd do if he lost her.  
It was the look on her face that convinced him otherwise, and he found himself nodding and sighing.  
"Alright, alright! But you will listen to me, do you understand? They're dangerous, and they might try to turn Emma." He would do the talking - he hoped. Alycia looked mad enough to rip a few throats out, despite not actually being a vampire herself.


	51. Chapter 26 Ady

He smiled hearing her say that she loved him. He wrapped her up in his arms as she played with his hair while she lay there. "George and Annie were pretty worried about you too, but I'm just glad you're ok and back in my arms." He spoke honestly as he stroked her face gently and gave her a light kiss once more. He loved feeling her kisses, he was growing addicted to her more and more. He decided to tease her a bit while the show was going on. He leaned forward and placed his lips against her neck as he gave her some soft kisses on the neck and moved up to playfully nip her earlobe. He was just teasing her of course, playing with her, he'd never actually bite her. He nuzzled her ear before he growled playfully at her before he chuckled. "All mine." He whispered against her ear before he kissed to her neck again and ran his fingers over her sides lightly.

Adrienne felt her face slowly heat up in a blush as she watched the show, trying to ignore the attention that Mitchell was giving her. She knew he could hear the way her heart sped up whenever he pressed a kiss to the skin of her neck, and she embarrassed herself further by gasping softly just a couple of times.  
Honestly, she tried to ignore him and watch the show, but he was making it fairly difficult. "God damnit, you're the one that recommended this show, so let me watch it." She said, her words meant to sound harsh but that was ruined by the giggle that left her lips.

He loved hearing her heart beating more as he kissed her on the neck and chuckled at the reaction her body had gasping a couple of times for him. he chuckled when she cursed at him. "Awe, well the movie can always be watched later." He teased her when she started giggling. "We can press the pause button and always come back to it." He spoke as he nuzzled her face gently and kissed her neck softly. He loved teasing her, her reactions were truly fun to see. He turned her to kiss him softly as he ran his hand over her face. "I love you…you are my absolutely everything." He whispered against her lips gently.

Adrienne returned his kisses, momentarily distracted from the movie. Once more she blushed when he said that he loved her, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. She began to press kisses around his jaw line, her fingers threading through his hair. "And I love you. Even if you don't wash your clothes that often." She teased him, reiterating what George had told her even though she knew it wasn't quite true.  
Ceasar, of course, decided that because Adrienne was getting attention and Mitchell was practically getting pet, he needed to be paid attention to as well. The dog stuck his face in between the two people, rather ruining whatever moment had been happening.

Mitchell grinned enjoying her kisses as she blushed. He loved her blushes letting her kiss around his jaw line as her fingers threaded in his hair. He let her do that as she teased him causing him to chuckle. "I'm going to have to get back at him for saying that." He spoke honestly before he shook his head lightly and before he could kiss her again, Ceasar was sticking his face between theirs. He couldn't help but laugh as he moved to pet the dog that had demanded attention at that moment. "Feeling all neglected are you buddy?" He chuckled shaking his head a bit before he gave Ady a soft kiss on the lips. "Going to be hard to have a moment with your pets around, but I don't mind." He kissed her again.

Adrienne snickered at the way the dog stuck his face in between theirs in a demand for attention. She reached over and scratched him behind the ears. She supposed it would be normal for him to feel neglected. After all, he was the one that she paid the most attention to on a daily basis. At least he liked Mitchell, that was a plus.

"At least Edgar hasn't tried to tear your face off, yet." She reasoned, returning his kiss. She playfully nipped at his bottom lip before pulling away, turning again to watch the show.

Mitchell couldn't help but laugh and let the dog before she spoke. "Oh yeah, that cat just doesn't like me." He grinned chuckling as he shook his head a bit and leaned forward giving her a soft kiss. "I love you my beautiful little angel girl." He chuckled a bit and ran his hand through her hair softly before she moved to nip at his bottom lip before she turned away. "oooooh now you're playing with fire little one." He teased her as he held her close to him and ran his fingers over her sides to see if she was ticklish, oh he was going to have fun with her when he found that spot on her that would make her squeal for him.

Unfortunately for Adrienne, she was very ticklish indeed. It was a weakness of hers, and it didn't take Mitchell long to find several spots on her sides that made her squeal. She laughed and immediately tried to twist away, but of course it didn't work. "Mitchell!" She laughed, grabbing hold of his hands to get him to stop, pressing her forehead against his and grinning at him.  
Yes, she liked this. She'd never disappear for a week again, but she liked this. She liked spending time with him and knowing that he wanted to spend time with her, and she especially liked that he was still there with her even though she'd made him worry. Honestly, she was just grateful that he was there.

Mitchell grinned when he found her ticklish spots. He couldn't help but laugh as she started laughing and trying to squirm away from him. "Aaaaah ha!" He grinned as he continued to tickle her before she grabbed a hold of his hands and put her forehead against his. He grinned and chuckled leaning up to kiss her lips softly. "I'll have to remember your ticklishness for later." He grinned teasing her a bit before he gave her another soft kiss on the lips. She was truly an amazing woman. "I don't know what I did to deserve you but I'm so happy I have you in my life." He spoke honestly leaning up to kiss her softly.

Adrienne grinned a little when Mitchell kissed her, easily returning his kisses. "Or you could entirely forget the fact that I'm ticklish. I think I'd like that one better." She said to him. There was only so many times she could tell him she loved him before she was going to choke on the sappiness, and so instead she just wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long kiss, pressing close to him. Ceasar did not interrupt them this time, though the dog did probably think about it.

Mitchell smiled and kissed her back letting her pull him into a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he held her close to him. He chuckled hearing her comment about how he could forget that she was ticklish and he shook his head. "Nah, it's too much fun remembering where you're ticklish." He smiled letting her pull him into a kiss as he returned it and ran his fingers through her hair softly. He kissed her back passionately holding her body close to his own as they kissed passionately; this time they weren't interrupted.

Adrienne nipped at his bottom lip again, softly, a little smile spreading across her face. She parted from the kiss when she needed to breath, lips pressing little butterfly kisses to his jaw once more. She debated asking him to come to bed with her, but that would sound odd coming out of her mouth and it would probably ruin whatever moment they were having, anyway. She kissed him again, fingers running through his curly hair. Yeah, she liked not being interrupted.


	52. Chapter 26 Aly

Alycia felt Hal's hand on her arm before he told her that she was going to stay there and she turned to look at him, she was not going to sit back and wait, she was going with him and she was ready to rip their throats out if they touched her daughter. "I'm not staying here. Either you come with me, or I will go there alone and kill them myself. If they laid a finger on Emma I'm going to make sure their death is the most painful I can make it." She spoke seriously as she followed Hal towards the direction of the abandoned city hall. When they arrived there she didn't even wait, she kicked the door open before storming into the room. "Emma?!" She called out for her daughter. She heard her voice a few rooms away and quickly bolted in that direction. When they arrived, a man stood in front of the door with a smirk on his face. The door was locked. Alycia wasn't in the mood to deal with him so she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Either you give me that damn key or I'm going to break every bone in your damn body before I either stab you in the throat or rip it out myself." She threatened smirking as the man gave her the key quickly not wanting to test out her threat.

Hal raised his brows, surprised by how intimidating Alycia could be. Had he been a human, he would have run for the hills, man or not. He sincerely hoped that the other vampires saw her as such, but if not, he was right behind her ready to tear their heads from their bodies. "He is going to have trauma from that." Hal commented as they hurried inside.  
He looked around, trying to figure out where they were with Emma. The vampire smell was everywhere, and he couldn't place one single area. But they'd been the ones to ask, surely they would show themselves.

Alycia unlocked the door before she made her way into the room. "Show yourself you sons of bitches!" She yelled into the room as two of them smirked and walked out of the shadows. Alycia was pissed and ready to go tear their neck from the rest of their bodies when she finally saw them. "Where. Is. My Daughter." She spoke seriously as the two of them just smirked not thinking she was truly any threat. They snapped their fingers and Emma was brought out with the other vampire, still in her pajamas, with her blanket and bunny that Hal had gotten her. "Emma." Aly felt relieved to see her daughter was still alive. "mama! Daddy!" She called out to them but was held back by the vampire standing there. "You let her go she has NOTHING to do with this." She threw a glare at the vampire that was holding her daughter.

Even if the three vampires before them did not think that Alycia was serious, Hal was under the impression that she would eventually rip out their throats. It seemed liable, considering the look on her face. "Let the child go." Hal said through gritted teeth, stepping forward so that he stood beside Alycia. He was ready to pounce if he needed to, but he did not want to make any sudden movements when the vampires were in possession of the child. Children were fragile, and vampires strong. It was not a good combination under the circumstances.  
"Now would be preferable, before something happens." Hal said, his eyes narrowing. His teeth ground together and his eyes flooded with black, as they usually did in tense situations when he was ready to become violent.

Alycia was honestly ready to kill the men that had his hands on her daughter. The leader, Alec just smirked and laughed. "Well well Hal. Would you really risk the well fare of this pathetic human woman and her child? I'm surprised you even allowed her to come with you." He smirked as Aly turned and glared at him. "You've got it wrong. I let him come with me. I'm ready to kill all of you by myself for taking my daughter." She knew Hal was backing her up. Alec just smirked and snapped his fingers and Demitri, the one standing beside him, went after Aly. But instead of him grabbing her, she grabbed him by the throat and flipped him so he was on his stomach, her knee right between his shoulder blades, her hands ready to twist his damn head off. "Emma, baby close your eyes." She waited until the child did. She looked to Alec. "Either you let my Emma go now, or I snap his neck off and kill him." She spoke dead serious.

Hal was ready to lunge when Demitri went for Alycia, but instead of what he thought was going to happen, the female flipped him around and caused him to land on the ground, his head in her hands. Either she could use a fair bit of momentum, thought Hal, or she worked out more than he thought she would.  
He was impressed.  
But though impressed, he was still worried. He needed to know that she wasn't going to get hurt doing this, which was why he moved over to her, stepping on one of Demetri's hands so that he didn't manage to reach up and harm Alycia. Otherwise Hal would let her do what she needed to do - even though he wasn't particularly happy about it. "I would highly suggest that you let the child go."

Working with the children at the pre-school was all the work out Aly needed to be able to stand her own ground. Alec growled when Aly had managed to pin down one of his partners. He had expected to have the upper hand and make Hal bend to his whim…but that wasn't going to happen today. "Very well." He looked to Kyle. "Let her go." He spoke. Kyle did as he was told…reluctantly of course. Aly quickly got up off of the man and hugged Emma when she ran over to her. She hugged her daughter tightly and buried her face into her hair. "Emma! Oh Emma I'm so sorry are you hurt?" The little girl shook her head as she hugged Aly tightly. Alec let the other two of his partners join him. "You've done well for yourself Hal. I never expected you'd find a woman who's so willing to fight beside you. We will take our leave…for now."

Hal didn't want to just let these vampire go, but he wasn't one that enjoyed killing his own kind, nor did he have a stake on him. He was not going to rip off a vampires head in front of Emma. No, he was not going to become terribly violent in front of the child at all. As it was he had even been watching his language around her, and trying to around Alycia. It was not often that Hal said things that were too inappropriate, but he was not going to around a female or a child. The old fashioned morals tended to stop him.  
The three vampires did take their leave, and Hal's blinked his eyes to clear them. He looked over to Alycia and Emma, taking a step closer to them and putting a hand on Alycia's shoulder. "Emma, are you alright?" He asked the child, expression showing just how worried he was.

Alycia glared at the men as they left before she hugged her daughter tightly and kissed her hair softly. She looked to Hal when she felt his hand on her shoulder and gave him a soft smile. Emma slipped from Aly's arms to squirm over to Hal as she hugged him just as tightly as she'd hugged her mom. "I otay daddy I otay." She spoke softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly when he picked her up. Aly smiled and kissed Hal softly on the cheek. "Thank you Hal…I couldn't have done it without you." She had a feeling their little argument would be long forgotten by the time they arrived back home.

Thankfully they managed to get back to the Bed and Breakfast quickly and carried Emma there. OF course Annie and Tom were as relieved as Aly and Hal had been when they saw Emma was alive and well. "I'm sure she's exhausted after what happened, but I'm not letting her out of my sight for awhile."

"We can stay here for a little while." Hal said. "It would give you peace of mind, at least." Tom and Annie were there, as was he. He would let Alycia and Emma have his bed for the night if they wished, and either he would sleep on the couch or keep himself busy by keeping watch. He didn't quite know what to do yet, but he was going to figure out, eventually, just why those vampires had taken Emma and given her back so easily. He didn't want them to come and grab the child again, and so he felt it better just to watch out for a little while.

Hal stayed closer to Alycia and Emma, feeling protective because of what had happened that day. Or, well, more protective. He wasn't going to let either of them out of his sight, just as Alycia was not going to leave Emma alone for a while.

Aly was glad that Hal was being willing to let her and Emma stay there with them for awhile. "Thank you Hal. Will you lay down with us?" She asked curiously before she headed upstairs with him and Emma. She was honestly exhausted by what had happened that day, but the fact that Emma was back in her arms, she was content with that. She made it to Hal's room and gently lay Emma down on the bed before she lay down on one side of her and let Hal lay on the other side of her so they could both protect her as they slept. "I love you Hal…I don't know what I would've done today without you…" She lay her head down on the bed and gave him a light smile. "I'm sorry about the fight…"

Hal nodded and lay down on the other side of the child, though he propped himself up on his elbows to look over at Alycia. "I'm sorry as well. You deserve an apology." Hal said to her, but just because he admitted that she deserved an apology did not mean that she was going to get any more of one. He'd just been trying to protect her, after all. Though admittedly he should have gone about it in a much better way indeed. "I will make it up to you in a date, when you are willing to let Annie babysit Emma, that is." Hal didn't think that Alycia wanted to let the child out of her sight any time soon, and he understood that completely.


	53. Chapter 27 Ady

Mitchell chuckled feeling his love nip his lower lip before she pulled back to give him butterfly kisses against his jaw. He wanted so badly to take her upstairs to her bedroom, but at the same time he wanted to just hold her close to him. "Adrienne…do you want to head upstairs?" He asked her curiously. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and moved them down her face. "I mean, I want to make sure that you're comfortable Ady, I won't do anything you don't want to."

Honestly, if Adrienne had any doubts about how far Mitchell would go if she didn't give him permission, she wouldn't have still been with him. She knew that he wouldn't do anything if she told him that she didn't want to, and she loved that. It was special, he was special. She didn't really have to think about his question, and found herself nodding as she pressed kisses to his neck. "Upstairs sounds nice," she murmured, blue eyes flickering up to meet his dark ones.

Mitchell smiled feeling her kisses to his neck before she spoke, her blue eyes flickering up to him. He licked his lips and nipped her nose playfully before he easily picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs towards the bedroom. He honestly was a little worried about having enough control over himself, but he trusted that he knew that he could do this, he would just need to make sure to keep himself in control. Besides, his love for Adrienne should keep his control strong enough so he wouldn't hurt her. IF he felt he was slipping, he'd let her know and they could stop…until he was ok again.

Adrienne hoped this went alright. She wasn't worried about anything between then, no, just Mitchell controlling himself. From what he had told her she could guess that the majority of his past lovers had followed a similar pattern, and they'd wound up with fangs in their neck. She trusted him, though, trusted him to tell her if they needed to stop. The female pressed kisses to his face and neck as he carried her up the stairs. "If you drop me, I'm going to kill you." She murmured against his skin, a smile forming on her face.

He loved this affectionate side of her as he kissed her passionately as he carried her up the steps. He grinned when she'd said she would kill him if he dropped her, so he pretended like he was going to and chuckled holding her close to him again. You know I'd never drop you." He grinned kissing her lips as he carried her into the bedroom and shut the door after he walked in. He loved her dog…but this was something just the two of them needed to be involved in. He gently lay her on the bed before he leaned over her and gave her another soft kiss. "I love you Adrienne."

Adrienne smiled when he shut the door. She would have reminded him, because otherwise Ceasar would have probably bolted into the room with a demand for attention and that would have been both a little annoying and a little awkward. "I love you, too," she murmured, returning his kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him a little closer. Their proximity was enticing, and she wanted him even closer.

He smiled at her lovingly as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him a little closer to her. His fingers traced over her sides gently as he could hear her heart beat speeding up in her chest. He controlled himself as he gently slipped his fingers under her shirt to gently touch her bare skin. He was doing his best not to tickle her, he didn't want to ruin the moment by tickling her and causing her to squirm around when he was trying to be sexy with her. He smiled and moved down to kiss her neck as he slowly worked his fingers up her stomach making sure he was ok before he did anything more.

Adrienne bit lightly at the inside of her cheek when Mitchell's lips fell upon her neck. It was no secret how her heart sped up and her breathing changed just a bit. Her fingers ran over his shoulders before threading themselves in his dark hair. Those stupid butterflies were filling her stomach again, fluttering around making her feel so ridiculously, pleasantly girly. His touch almost felt intoxicating, and left her skin tingling. "Just a thought," the girl said quietly to him, a smile forming on her face. "But maybe you should take the gloves off. They tickle."


	54. Chapter 27 Aly

She smiled at Hal lightly as she reached over and gently took his hand in her own and laced their fingers together. "That may take me a few days to be willing to let Emma out of my sight…but I'm glad that I had you to help me find her." She spoke softly as the little girl was curled up between the two of them sleeping. Soon, after everything they'd been through that day, Aly was fast asleep on Hal's bed, laying her hand, still entwined with Hal's on Emma's sleeping form. She had curled up under the large blanket Hal had on the bed and was as content as she could get for now.

"'Find' is a bit of a stretch. They left a note telling us exactly where she was." Hal said quietly. And it was his fault to begin with. If he hadn't gotten attached to Alycia and Emma, they'd be a lot safer than they were with him. Or at least a little safer - the neighborhood they were in was not exactly the best place to go if you wanted to live a long, happy life. Some said it was, but then again, the real estate agents really didn't know just how many vampires were running around.  
Hal woke the next morning with Alycia and Emma still in the bed, sleeping away. He slowly and quietly removed himself from the bed, deciding that he'd make breakfast for them while they were asleep.

"You know what I meant." She gave him a smile before she drifted off to sleep on the bed with the two people that meant the world to her. Alycia slept until the next morning, waking up to feel Emma in her arms and smiled at the little toddler. She ran her fingers through the little girl's hair softly before kissing her forehead gently. "My beautiful Emma." She whispered softly. She looked around seeing Hal wasn't in the bed with her. She wasn't going to let Emma out of her sight still, so she picked up the sleeping toddler and headed downstairs to see if she could find him. Emma just wrapped her arms around Aly's neck, still very sleepy as Aly smiled seeing Hal in the kitchen.

Hal had made eggs and toast. It was a simple breakfast, but he'd gone out and gotten strawberries, too, thinking that Emma might like those. He cut each one into a little shape. In his five hundred years, cooking was one thing that you tended to pick up. Pearl had done a lot of the cooking in when he'd lived with she and Leo, and the old man was useless by a stove. When Pearl had been doing other things it had been Hal's job to make sure that the old man got his dinner.  
"Is she still asleep?" Hal asked quietly as he looked over at Alycia, just finishing up. He turned the stove off and put the eggs on the plates, then the toast, then the strawberries. As usual he arranged them all meticulously before setting everything on the table.

Alycia smiled at Hal seeing him in the kitchen before she nodded. "Yeah, she's probably going to wake up soon though, she smells the food." She was sure. She moved over and kissed Hal softly on the cheek seeing the breakfast he'd made for them. She gently shook Emma who looked at her mama and yawned smiling as she waved to Hal and then saw the food that had been made. She giggled excited as Aly put her down so she could eat up. Alycia sat down beside the young girl and ate the food as well. It was amazing! She smiled at Hal as Emma happily ate the eggs toast…and especially the strawberries. "Good call on those, they're some of the only fruit she'll eat."

Hal chuckled as he picked at his own breakfast, glad that the little girl would at least eat his cooking. From what he was aware, children could be pretty picky when it came to what they ate. Alycia's statement furthered that opinion and he shrugged. "I was hoping. You're usually the one cooking for her, I don't know what all she likes."  
Tom came down the stairs looking particularly tired, but of course his first thing to do that morning was to say hello to Emma. "You breakfast is in the fridge." Usually Annie cooked for Tom - Hal had decided to let her off the hook that time because he was cooking anyway. Hal had been going to ask Alycia if she would go with him on another date soon (though only when she was ready to let someone else watch Emma again, he knew that it might take a few days), but he didn't quite want to do that in front of Tom. He'd be teased mercilessly.

Alycia giggled as Emma ate the food happily. She smiled at Hal when he spoke before she nodded. "She seems happy with it so you did good." She looked to Tom as he came downstairs and saw Emma happily wave to him out of the corner of her eye. She adored the little girl and was glad she didn't seem to have any negative effects of what'd happened the night before. After they were finished eating, Aly helped Hal get the dishes into the sink before she kissed his cheek softly. "You want to come over for awhile?" She did enjoy spending time with him, and she knew he'd find things to do while over there. She gently picked up Emma who waved to Tom after she was picked up and Aly carried her back over to the house.

Hal nodded when Alycia asked if he wanted to go over to the other house with her. Before their argument he'd been spending just as much time there as he did at the bed and breakfast, and he was starting to think of both places as home - though admittedly he preferred his perfectly organized room. Mainly because no matter how many times he went and organized the female's closet for her, it never stayed the way he put it.

"I haven't mopped your floors for a week." Hal was struck with the sudden knowledge as he put his coat on, heading outdoors with Alycia and Emma, and moving towards the house. "That - I - I need to mop the floors."

He could only imagine the dirt they'd been walking on, now.


	55. Chapter 28 Ady

Mitchell kissed her neck hearing her heart racing a bit more for him as she ran her fingers over his shoulders then into his hair. He loved feeling her skin against his and couldn't wait to get to the good part of this. He chuckled looking to her as she spoke a moment later, hearing her speak of the gloves. "Awe you don't like them?" He teased her before he slipped his gloves off of his hands and let them fall to the floor. He kissed down her neck to her collarbone a bit as he helped slip her shirt off of her body and let it fall off the side of the bed.

A gasp escaped her when the vampire's lips landed on her collarbone, and when her shirt was no longer on her body she was decidedly grateful that she'd chosen a fairly attractive bra that day. Her fingers dipped low to the hem of his shirt, sliding up and pulling the material with them. It did not take long for her to rid him of the red t-shirt, and the material was tossed over the side of the bed to land with her own. He smelled like samples of perfume from a magazine, but it wasn't unattractive in the slightest.

Mitchell grinned as she gasped before she moved to slide his shirt off of his body. He lifted his arms up for her and let her take off his shirt. He liked seeing the bra she had on, but decided it had to come off. He moved to reach behind her before he quickly unhooked her bra and slowly slipped it off of her body. "God you're beautiful Adrienne." He spoke softly before he kissed her collar bone then moved down towards her chest, licking her skin now and again to send a shiver through her.

Adrienne could feel the butterflies multiplying, the fluttery feeling only becoming worse and better as time went on. His lips trailed along her skin leaving a searing, wonderful sensation. It would be a lie to say that a couple small moans hadn't escaped her, or that she didn't arch to bring herself closer to him. Admittedly she hadn't done this in a while - not even the last time she'd had a boyfriend, actually, because he'd been an ass - but with Mitchell she was anything but nervous. She said her hands down his abdomen, fingers coming to rest just above his jeans.

~*~ Time Skip ~*~

Mitchell fell to the bed beside his lover and smiled gently stroking her cheek. He couldn't believe he'd done it! She wasn't bitten and he'd just made love with the most beautiful woman of his life. He leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss as he pulled her body close to his own. "I love you my beautiful Adrienne." He spoke against her lips before kissing her once more and running his fingers over her sides softly. He was as content as he could be.

"There's got to be a limit on how many times love can be declared in a day before it becomes cheesy," said Adrienne with a soft smile, though she would never, ever get tired of hearing that statement from him. He hadn't bitten her, she wasn't bleeding to death on the sheets, and it had been the single most blissful time to date. Perhaps she should have gotten up and dressed, but it was late enough to be considered an acceptable time to go to sleep, and she had no intention of doing anything but laying by him for a while, now.

Mitchell grinned hearing what she said. "You know you love hearing me say it." He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair softly. She was truly the most amazing thing in his life. He loved her with all of his heart. He moved forward to kiss her hair softly, before he laid back against the bed and tried to catch his breath after what they'd just done together. "If I had anything to say about it, you wouldn't be getting out of this bed for a few days.

Adrienne rested her head on his chest, her breathing evening out into a normal pace as she listened to him speak. "Well, that's not at all practical." She murmured when he said something about not getting out of the bed for a few days. "Not exactly hygienic, either. And we'd likely both be fired." The redhead hummed happily, relaxing next to him. "You smell like magazine perfume, by the way. Please tell me that you didn't just rub one of Annie's magazines over yourself." Now she was just teasing, really.

Mitchell chuckled letting her rest her head against his chest before he grinned and couldn't help but laugh. "Well if I had my way with you, I'd make sure you'd be too sore to get out of the bed." He grinned and nuzzled her face gently. "We could get other jobs I'm sure. Maybe just start a business together." He spoke before she spoke saying he smelled like magazine perfume. He couldn't help but laugh at her question. "Of course not my love."


	56. Chapter 28 Aly

Alycia looked to Hal when he spoke of the floors that he hadn't moped in a week. She couldn't help but giggle as she opened the door and made her way inside. "Seriously Hal?" She giggled before she gave him a soft kiss. "IF you want to mop the floors I can keep Emma up on the couch with me, we can watch a movie, how does that sound?" She asked the toddler who grinned and giggled excitedly at the idea of a movie. "Ok then, movie time it is." She walked inside and let Emma down so she could go pick out a movie that she wanted to watch. At least with the movie Emma would be distracted so Hal could clean without her being in the way. She knew Emma wanted to help sometimes, and now and again Hal would let her help. She thought it was adorable.

Hal moved to get the mop water ready, and he pulled on a pair of heavy-duty yellow gloves. The floors hadn't been mopped in a week and if a sponge mop wouldn't do, then he was going to need to take boiling water to the floor. Indeed, this was going to be a project that took some time. When Alycia and Emma moved to the couch, Hal proceeded to set the chairs and anything else on the floor out of the way.

"The next time we have a disagreement, I am still going to come over and mop the floors. This is pitiful." He said to Alycia, more as a warning than anything else. Even if he did get upset with her in the future, he was going to keep her house clean.

He started to mop the floor, hearing the movie playing in the background and occasionally looking over to see the two females sitting on the couch. Maybe, he thought, that was what having a family was like.

She giggled at what Hal said about coming over and cleaning even if they have a disagreement. "Ok." She smiled and put in the movie for Emma, a movie she wouldn't mind watching either. Emma had chosen Brave, a movie Aly actually liked. She sat back on the couch with Emma as the little girl curled up by her mother and watched the movie contently. Aly looked over to Hal now and again seeing him cleaning and she smiled. "Need any help?" She'd ask now and again but normally the answer was no. She didn't mind, she normally hated having to do a lot of the cleaning, but he seemed to enjoy it, it was part of his routine, so she didn't mind letting him do it.

Whenever Alycia asked if Hal needed help, the answer was no. Usually he was opposed to help anyway, because he just did a better job than most. But this time it was also because he liked looking over and seeing her on the couch with Emma, knowing that he could protect the both of them. They had become the most important things in the world to him, even if he wouldn't quite have admitted it to anyone yet. He finished the mopping, but instead of letting the floor dry on its own accord he took a towel to it and finished the job. After that he wiped down the fronts of the cupboards because he already had hot water and washing up liquid.

"Arrows don't fly like that." He commented, glancing at the television screen.

Emma giggled enjoying the movie with a grin on her face as Aly looked to Hal when he spoke from the kitchen. "Shhh, keep the magic alive for Emma." She teased him playfully before she giggled and shook her head lightly and looked back to the screen as Emma cheered enjoying the movie. Alycia giggled kissing the little girl's forehead softly before a memory popped into her head. She looked to Hal for a moment before she smiled. "Remind me later to bring up a very special date that's coming up." She did mention to mention it in front of Emma, knowing the girl would go insane with excitement.

Hal was a little confused by Alycia's words, but he nodded, searching his brain. It obviously wasn't Christmas that was coming up, or Easter, or any other date that he thought of as exceedingly special. The way she'd said it made him think that it had something to do with Emma, and he wondered if the little girl might have had a birthday coming soon. He pushed it from his mind and dumped the old wash water, cleaning the sink while he was at it before finally deciding that he'd sufficiently cleaned her kitchen. He moved over to the couch and sat down beside Alycia, his brows furrowed once more at the movie.  
Now, arrows really didn't fly like that.  
And they'd gotten the horses all wrong.

As Hal moved to sit next to her she smiled and snuggled into him a little bit as she lay her head against his shoulder. Emma was curled up with the rabbit he'd gotten her on her first date with him and smiled seeing the toddler focused on the movie. Alycia looked up at Hal and giggled seeing the furrowed brows. "Sweetie, let it go." She giggled and kissed him lovingly on the lips before she snuggled next to him to watch the rest of the movie continue on. Emma cheered when the ending of the movie came on as Aly stroked her hair gently. "I'm glad you enjoyed the movie Emma." The toddler just nodded happily.

Hal turned his attention to Alycia and Emma throughout the movie instead of the film itself. All of the inaccuracies were astounding, and he would just as well prefer not to watch it. He thought about getting up and polishing the silverware, or re-organizing the cupboards. He didn't, though, instead he wrapped an arm around Alycia's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple, ignoring the way he could hear her pulse. It was becoming both harder and easier to ignore that, and he didn't quite know what to make of it.

"If you are going to watch another movie, I would prefer that it be accurate."

As the movie ended she looked to Hal when he spoke of another movie before she giggled and kissed his cheek. "And what exactly did you have in mind that's kid friendly?" She asked curiously. Most movies that were kid friendly were extremely inaccurate. She looked to Emma before she thought of something. "If you'd like to watch something we would enjoy more than her, you can set up her little doll table next to the couch so she can still play while we watch a movie." She'd like to make sure that she was where Emma was for the next few days until she was sure that Emma was safe once more…even then she'd only trust Emma being alone with herself, Hal, Annie and Tom.


	57. Chapter 29 Ady

"Yeah, I don't enjoy being too sore to get out of bed. Although the process of getting there would probably be pretty fun." Adrienne traced designs over his skin with her fingers. She rested her head on his chest and looked happily up to his face, content. She'd missed his eyes, too, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Those dark-brown orbs were like falling into a cup of coffee. At first they looked dark enough to be almost black, but in the right light you could see other colors in there as well, and it was quite a pretty effect.

Mitchell loved the feeling of her fingers on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair lightly. He was going to lay here for awhile, as long as he could with her. She was just perfect in his eyes. He kissed her forehead lightly before laying back on the bed and just relaxing with her. He was sure Ceasar wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch that night, he should be fine there.

The next morning came and Mitchell got up, deciding to go make some coffee for her while she was still fast asleep. He rubbed his head knowing he probably should go home and take a shower soon, but at the same time he didn't want to be away from Adrienne for too horribly long. He knew she probably would have to go back to work soon….as would he, but he wanted to be selfish with her for a little while longer.

Adrienne woke up a little later than usual and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater before heading downstairs. "Morning," she said to Mitchell, greeting him with a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. She grinned when she saw that he'd made coffee - he really was perfect, wasn't he? "You can shower here if you'd like." She said, noticing the way he was rubbing his head. "Granted, the only shampoo I have smells kind of like a fruit salad and you might get picked on for it."  
Mostly by her.  
A lot.  
Ceasar didn't come to greet her when she woke, so the dog was probably a little dejected about being left alone the previous night. She wasn't the least bit sorry. She poured some food into his bowl and then Edgar's, and both animals hurried into the kitchen.

Mitchell looked to the stairs as Adrienne came down the steps and he gave her a smile. "Well good morning beautiful." He grinned pulling her close to him as she placed her lips against his. "How did you sleep?" He asked curiously hearing her comment about him being able to shower there if he wanted to. He wouldn't mind smelling like fruit salad. "Well, as long as you're the only one smelling my hair I'll be fine." He grinned and kissed her cheek lovingly as she moved to feed the cat and the dog that were right by her side ready to go. He chuckled and pet the dog knowing he was probably feeling neglected since he'd been kept from the room the night before.

Adrienne smirked. "Well, if you have to go to work today, then George will more likely than not realize that you smell like a fruit salad. And then proceed to pick on you about it. And Nina's a werewolf, too, so she's got to have a pretty good sense of smell. It's probable that they'd tell Annie. So I won't be the only one picking on you about it. Oh, and a tip - the raspberry body wash is pretty strong, so you might want to be careful with that." She told Mitchell, enjoying calculating within her head the chances of him getting picked on.

Mitchell rolled his eyes at what she told him before he gently ran his hands over her face and kissed her lovingly on the lips. She was truly amazing in his eyes and he didn't know what he ever did to deserve her. "Well if they decide to tease me I can just tell them that I had the most amazing night ever." He chuckled a bit and kissed her once more. "I won't go into details of course, I have more respect for you than that, and I know you'd kill me if I did, so I'll behave." He teased her a bit pulling her close to him as the coffee finished.

"If I thought for a moment that you'd go into detail, nothing would've happened." Adrienne said with a shrug and a little grin, lips pressing against his for a moment before she moved away from him to pour them both some coffee. She put two spoonfuls of sugar in his, and milk in her own before she brought the drinks back to the table. "But to be fair it wouldn't be all that big a secret if you smell like a fruit salad. George wouldn't get it at first, and Nina would probably tell him." Yes, that was the likely outcome. Perhaps a seventy-percent chance of that scenario.

Mitchell loved holding her close to him but as she pulled away he pouted playfully at her as he held her body close to his own. "Mmmm I love you baby." Accepted the cups she brought him as he pulled her into his lap again. "Very true. And then he'll make those high squeaky noises again and just look at me like I've done something horrible. And then of course I'll have to call you so he can see that you're alive and well and that I didn't kill you during sex." He knew his friend very well and knew that was a very real possibility.


	58. Chapter 29 Aly

"I don't want to watch a movie." Hal said. "I just implore you not to fill the child's head with inaccuracies." This was said in more of a joking manner than anything else, though you wouldn't have been able to tell if you hadn't known him. He pressed a simple kiss to Alycia's temple and turned to look at Emma. He didn't know how long a toddler could sit and watch movies, and so he did go and get the doll table anyway to set up by the couch. They could watch another child-friendly, inaccurate movie, but he didn't want to be the one to suffer if Emma became bored and decided that his head was the perfect place for a tiara again.

"Well what would you like to do now then?" She asked curiously as the little girl quickly sat down at the table when Hal set it up so she could play with her dolls. Aly smiled at the toddler before she leaned in to whisper into Hal's ear. "Her birthday is next week. I'd like to try and plan something special for her." She explained before she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. She knew Hal was warming up to the idea of being around Emma more and was slowly warming up to her calling him 'daddy'.

A few days passed and Aly was slowly feeling more comfortable with the idea of leaving Emma with someone, as long as it was Annie or Tom. She was hoping to go out with Hal soon and spend some one on one time with him. With her watching over Emma, she hadn't really had much of a chance to spend time alone with him. She was over at the Bed and Breakfast, watching Tom playing with Emma as she was using some water color pencils to draw on his cheeks, arms, anywhere there was skin available to her.

Hal glanced at Alycia when she whispered to him. So his hunch had been right and it was going to be Emma's birthday - he would have to get the child something, but he didn't know what. What did children like, aside from stuffed animals? He'd already gotten her one of those.  
"Alright." He said, his voice just a whisper as well. "How old is she going to be?" It occurred to him that he did not actually know the toddler's age. He just knew that she was young, that she was one of the people he needed to protect, and that if he couldn't himself, then Alycia would twist the heads off of anyone that tried to harm the child. "And what did you have in mind?"  
Hal could plan a birthday party - granted, he wasn't used to it. But he could help! Oh, there would have to be so much more cleaning done if she wanted to hold it there in her house. He would have to scrub down the walls - no, they weren't' dirty but it was preventative - and then wipe the cupboards again and make sure that everything was in order.

She looked to Hal when he asked how old she would be turning. "Three." She explained with a smile hearing his next question not long after the first. "I was thinking of a few kids from the orphanage coming for a birthday party. I don't want to go with the typical 'princess' theme, I'm thinking more towards different girl themes, I'm not quite sure on one yet though." She explained as she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. She hoped he'd be able to be around the kids, but he had better control than he thought he did. She gave him a light smile as she reached up to play with his hair a little bit before she moved to climb into his lap so she was facing him. "I love you Hal."

Only three years old, thought Hal. To someone who had lived more than five hundred years, that seemed very young indeed. He felt like an old man next to her, but then again, he supposed that he was. "You could always give her a plastic arrow and teach her to shoot it wrong." He quipped, glancing at the cover of the movie that he was quickly coming to detest. His eyes flickered over to her after a moment and a little bit of a smirk formed on his face, showing that he was joking.  
A little.  
His expression turned curious when she climbed onto his lap, but he wrapped his arms around her anyway. When she said that she loved him, he knew how to reply. He just didn't know if he was able to. He nodded a moment, and then decided that probably wasn't sufficient. "You are my night and my day. Your blood makes you my bane, but you are also my angel."  
He could be suave when he wanted to.

Aly looked to Hal before she playfully stuck her tongue out at him when he teased about the toy arrow. "I'll figure out something, maybe like a forest or fairy theme. I'm sure she wouldn't mind something like that." She spoke mostly to herself as she looked to the toddler who was sleeping. She smiled and loved feeling his arms wrapping around her as she looked into his warm eyes. She told him that she loved him and listened to what he said next and smiled a bit before she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. "You're my prince Hal. You're everything I could ask for and more. When I'm away from you…it just doesn't feel right." She spoke honestly as she gently ran her fingers through his hair gently messing it up just a bit.

Hal didn't know how in the world he was going to help Alycia prepare for this birthday party, but he was sure as hell going to try. He would probably be going after her and cleaning everything, and that was what he'd do to help, but all the same. He wasn't going to let her set everything up on her own, if that counted for anything.

"When I'm away from you I worry about your safety and whether or not I'm going to see you again." Hal spoke, answering her statement with one of his own. It was true. No matter how short a time he was gone from Alycia, he worried. Even if she was just at her work. He paused when she messed up his hair, looking at her with a rather skeptical expression. "I'm going to have to fix that." He almost complained.

She giggled smiling at Hal lovingly as she kissed him softly after she'd messed up his hair and heave her a look. She snuggled close to him and lay her head on his chest softly as she just lay there for a few moments wrapped up in his warmth. She didn't want to go anywhere or do anything but just sit there with the man she loved and soak up the feeling of being alone with him. The day of the party came around fairly quickly and Aly knew that Annie and Tom were keeping Emma busy for her so she could set up the decorations. She had even dressed up herself for the party and had begged Hal to at least wear a green shirt to go with the theme of the party, it was either that or spandex with sparkles. Thankfully she was able to get him to cooperate if only a bit.


	59. Chapter 30 Ady

"I'm pretty sure those high squeaky noises are mostly him trying to say something while simultaneously inhaling more oxygen than he actually needs." Adrienne told Mitchell, taking a sip of her coffee. She wasn't at all shocked when Mitchell said that George would probably make him call her. She'd known that there was a possibility of Mitchell losing it - that was, after all, the route that his relationships usually took. But it hadn't happened, and if she hadn't trusted him before she wouldn't have gotten into bed with him.

He couldn't help but laugh at her comment about what George did. "That sounds about right." He chuckled shaking his head a bit before he looked to the woman he loved. He sipped his coffee as he held her close to him. He nuzzled her hair softly as he moved to kiss her neck gently. Yeah her blood still called to him; but he had better control of himself than that. He knew he was going to be able to control himself around her, and he wasn't really worried about what was going to happen later on down the road. He loved her. That's all that mattered to him at this very moment in time.

"Mm, what time do you have to leave, anyway?" Adrienne asked. She had work around two in the afternoon, but she probably should give Ceasar a walk and take a shower of her own before then. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling gently.

"Oh! I have something to show you." The redhead remembered. She moved to the counter where her camera was setting and brought it back over to him. The old woman that had watched Edgar for the week that Adrienne had been gone liked dressing the cat up in little doll outfits and taking pictures of him - like those cheesy cat ladies that you always saw on movies. "It explains why Edgar still wouldn't talk to me. The old woman across the street put him in hats. And occasionally a dress."

Mitchell had to think for a moment before he remembered when he had to go to work. "I don't have to leave until about two thirty or so. I work till about nine tonight." He explained as he held her close to him for a few moments. Maybe they could take a shower together before he let her get ready for work. He blinked as she got up and moved to the counter before bringing it back over. He pulled her into his lap and grinned seeing the pictures she had for him. "Oh my…that is awful." He couldn't help but grin though as he looked at the pictures of the cat being dressed up. "I'll be he's real mad at you for letting her do that to him." He smirked a bit.

Adrienne nodded, trying not to laugh as she took a sip of her coffee. "He still won't let me near him, it's kind of funny." She told Mitchell, a little grin forming on her face. "Ooh, three pictures after that one he's in a Santa outfit." She figured this would be fun for Mitchell, seeing as how he and the feline did not get along.

As Mitchell looked through the pictures, Adrienne finished her coffee. She set the empty mug down on the table and wound her arms around his neck, nuzzling his cheek. "You know, if you're going to come out of the shower smelling like fruit salad anyway, you might as well just shower with me."

Mitchell grinned looking through the pictures before he laughed again. "It's not kind of funny, it is funny." He chuckled looking through the pictures as he finished his coffee as well. He looked to her as she wound her arms around his neck and felt her nuzzling his cheek. She was the one person he felt he could be himself around, vampire and all. Maybe he was just one of the lucky ones. He'd found someone to love…to truly love and he had enough control over himself to not kill her. The other vampires probably just hadn't found that person yet…or they already killed them. He looked to her when she spoke of him taking a shower with her and he grinned. "Are you sure about that? I'm not sure I could keep my hands off you."

Adrienne felt a grin spread across her face when Mitchell answered her question, and she moved to nip playfully at his earlobe. "Is that a promise?" When he'd finished his coffee she slipped her hands into his and pulled him up from the chair, leading him towards the bathroom. The cat did try to attack his ankles on the way, but ran back to the chair in the living room when Mitchell hissed at him.

Needless to say, they had a very long shower indeed. By the time they'd stepped out and dressed, the water had gone cold and they both smelled like raspberries. The morning called for several more cups of coffee, lunch, and then they were both off to work.

Mitchell smirked when she nipped his earlobe. "mmm you'd better believe it is." He grinned letting her slip her hands into his and pull him from the chair. He followed her towards the bathroom, though her mean cat did try to attack him, but Mitchell got back at him by hissing at him. He smirked and went into the bathroom with Adrienne and made sure he kept his promise. He knew her neighbors would probably be getting pretty pissed at them if they got too loud, but he didn't care, he loved her and he wanted the world to know that she was his.

Once the shower was finished, he climbed out and wrapped her up in the towel before he kissed her lips softly and stroked her cheek gently. They got dressed soon after and they were both off to work. He promised to pick her up later so George could see that she was alive and well.

Adrienne spent her day working on computers, programming and sometimes even repairing damage done to the machinery itself. The latter was more a project than anything else, but she liked having something to do when she'd gotten the rest of her work done. She didn't get off work until ten that night, and then headed home. She'd be going over to Mitchell's a little bit later - she'd agreed to, just so that George could see that she wasn't actually dead or injured or anything of the sort. "Ceasar, I'm home!" She called, and the dog - no longer ignoring her because he was feeling dejected, apparently - immediately ran to the door and almost knocked her over with his enthusiasm. After greeting him with scratches to the ears and trying not to be licked in the face, the redhead went to make a pot of coffee.


	60. Chapter 30 ALy

Hal was not happy about the green shirt that he had to wear, but he'd found a button-up dress shirt that was sufficient enough. At least it wasn't spandex and sparkles. While Alycia set up the decorations, Hal was right behind her straightening every single thing that she placed. It didn't matter if a fairy or a forest theme was supposed to be neat or not, he was going to make it such. "What else is there left to do? Have you been crossing out things as we go?" He had made a list for her so that they could keep everything straight in their heads. "Do we still need to frost the cake, blow up balloons or something?" He didn't know what a three year old's birthday party was supposed to be like!

Aly made sure that the decorations were up, giggling as Hal was right behind her fixing everything so it was straight. She kissed his cheek softly before he asked what else there was to do. "The cake is still cooling off, we need to wait a few more minutes before we decorate it, balloons are already done and hung up." She smiled and gently took his face in her hands gently. "Hal. Baby breathe." She giggled kissing him softly on the lips. "Thank you for at least wearing the green shirt and brown pants." She giggled knowing he wasn't one to dress up, but it would mean a lot to Emma for him to at least wear something.

Once everything was set up, Aly smiled and let the guests in before she went next door quickly to grab Emma. She brought the birthday girl in, in her adorable fairy outfit, the other girls at the party were also dressed unfairness. Aly smiled seeing the little girl's eyes light up as she looked around excitedly.

Finally things were set up. Hal had gone behind Alycia and straightened everything, he'd made sure that the balloons were aesthetically pleasing, he'd made sure that the icing on the birthday cake was even, he had previously organized the freezer for the ice cream (well, to be fair it had needed to be organized anyway). He was on uneven ground. He didn't know how to do a child's party, and he was worried about being around the children. What if he snapped?

But the way Emma's eyes lit up when she came into the room did put a smile on his face. A small one, but it was there. Hal would stand quietly until he was told what to do, but he was very glad that the child liked it.

Still, it was intimidating to have that many children in the room.

The party went fairly well, Emma had tried to throw sparkles on Hal, but she explained to the now three year old that some people, especially boys, didn't like sparkles. Emma looked to Aly for a moment before she smiled brightly. "Otay mama!" She giggled hugging her before she hugged Hal tightly. As the party was winding down, Emma was waving to the kids from the door as they left. Aly smiled and wrapped her arms around Hal's waist lightly. "You did really good today, I'm very proud of you." She looked to him as she gently ran her fingers over his chest and lay her head down against him. She truly did feel like a family with him. She smiled to Emma as she came running over to them and hugged them both with a giggle. "Fank yoooo!" She giggled happily as Aly nodded petting her hair. "You're welcome sweet heart and happy birthday."

Aly was very proud of Hal. He had done amazingly well with the party. She let him pull her close to him as he kissed the top of her head. "Awe, we can get that off easily." She giggled dusting off some of the sparkles that were on his shirt. She felt him put his finger under her chin as he tilted her head up, kissing her moments later. She smiled and kissed him back. Normally she was the one to kiss him, so it was nice having the change. She gently ran her hands over his chest playfully nipping his lower lip before Emma was wrapped around their legs with giggles. Aly knew that Emma had loved the party. Aly knelt down to Emma's height for a moment. "Why don't you take all your presents upstairs and put them away ok?" Emma nodded and giggled taking a huge armful of her presents and running up the steps. Aly smiled and leaned her head against Hal's shoulder lightly.

Hal wrapped an arm around Alycia when Emma ran up the stairs with her presents. He would probably go after the child when she was asleep and straighten the things she'd put away, organize them, but that was quickly becoming normal and he knew now how to step lightly as not to wake up the small girl. For now, though, he was much more content to hold Alycia close to him.

"You should probably tell me when your birthday is, too, so that it doesn't come as a shock." Of course Hal would do something for her birthday when it came. It was typical human culture to see birthdays as important - well, most did. Just not vampires, who, unless they were killed, could live on for thousands and thousands of years.

Looking up at Hal she heard his comment about her birthday before she smiled. "My birthday's not for a few months yet. So you've got some time." She looked into his warm brown eyes before she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss. "So, why don't you tell me when your birthday is so we can do a little something special?" She spoke softly as she gently ran her hands through his hair. She loved seeing him slowly starting to relax around her. She rested her head against his shoulder and let out a content sigh. This was just perfect in her eyes. She couldn't be happier than when she was with him.

A few days passed and Annie requested to watch over Emma that night. She said there was something special she wanted to do with the toddler. Aly didn't mind so she gave permission for Annie to have Emma that night, which meant she and Hal would have the house to themselves that night.

That was the thing about vampires and birthdays, or at least ones as old as Hal. He couldn't even remember glimpses of his family, let alone his own birthday. "I no longer remember." He admitted It wasn't odd. Records had rarely been kept even for important birthdays in his time. If you were to look exceedingly hard you could probably figure out when his parents had had him baptized - something that struck him as completely, horribly ironic. "It was a date long, long forgotten."  
But he would remember her birthday and Emma's, at the very least.  
When the couple finally got the house to themselves, Hal at first spent his time once more polishing the silverware until it shone. Then he'd worked on the cupboards, but only completed the job halfway - something that might bother him later on - in favor of wrapping his arms around Alycia and looking down at her with the slightest little bit of a smile on his face. Admittedly he was at ease, knowing that there was no chance of him attacking the child that night. He had to ignore the pulse that he could hear from Alycia, but he was learning to do that quite well.


	61. Chapter 31 Ady

Mitchell had gone through work fairly easily. Thankfully it was fairly easy to keep himself focused on what he had to do at work. He ran his hand through his hair as his shift finished, nearing 9:30 now, he decided to go pick up Adrienne and make sure that George knew she was alive and well and not hurt in any way shape or form. He understood why George was so over protective…but honestly it could get kind of annoying. He loved Adrienne and wouldn't do anything to hurt her. He knocked on the door and smiled seeing it open after a few minutes. "Hey!" He gave her a soft hug before the dog came running over and demanded he be pet as well.

Adrienne greeted Mitchell at the door, and pulled on her coat while he was petting Ceasar. The dog had warmed up to him again, too, and was soon on his back so that Mitchell could rub his belly. Honestly, for such a big dog he really was just a puppy at heart.  
It didn't take them long to walk down the street to the flat that Mitchell shared with his friends, and then inside. George was sitting on the couch, and he stood to move over to the door when the couple walked inside. He looked rather like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure whether or not if he'd get kicked in the shin for it.  
"I'm obviously not dead, George." Adrienne offered with raised brows.

Mitchell smiled at the dog as he pet it before he looked to the woman standing there with him. "Ready to go my love?" He laced his fingers with her as he walked with her towards the flat. He walked inside and looked to George as he'd stood up and moved over to the door. He smiled and wrapped his arm around Adrienne's waist as George was trying to find the words to say. "I told you she wasn't dead." He chuckled before kissing her forehead softly as he stroked her hair gently. He loved seeing George's reaction.

"If you need further proof, I could kick you in the knee." Adrienne offered helpfully, a smile pulling itself onto her face as she looked at George. The werewolf still couldn't seem to think of anything to say, and after a long moment he slunk back to his spot on the couch. She wondered if he was still had at her for disappearing and making Mitchell worry for a week straight, but she did hope that he wasn't. She hadn't really meant to worry them all, though it had been stupid to think that she hadn't had to tell them before she left.

Annie popped downstairs and smiled seeing Adrienne. "You're ok!" She hugged her tightly before she smiled at Hal, having a feeling she knew what happened that night. "I'm glad to see you both are ok." She giggled excitedly hugging both of them tightly before she pulled back and looked to George. "Ignore him, he's still a bit pissy about the disappearing thing, but of course Nina and I forgive you and Mitchell already has." Annie giggled as Mitchell chuckled a bit. "OF course, how can I stay mad at her?"

Adrienne shrugged. She knew that George would get over it eventually, she just needed to give him space and keep him well away from grape Kool-aid just in case he saw fit to use it in some form of revenge. The redhead rolled her shoulders and ignored the fact that it was probably Annie knew what had happened - it probably wasn't too hard to figure out, actually, especially with George acting protective through his anger.

Mitchell smirked and moved over to the couch before he pulled her down to lay in his lap for a bit. Annie blinked and looked at Mitchell before she moved over to where he was sitting and actually sniffed him. "Mitchell…you smell like raspberries…why do you smell like fruit?" She gave him a suspicious look and Mitchell couldn't help but just smile as he chuckled a bit. "Well uh…there's an easy explanation." He spoke as Annie smirked and waited.

Adrienne grinned, determined to be absolutely no help with Mitchell's current predicament. She watched him trying to figure out something to say to Annie. It didn't look to be working as well as he probably had hoped, and it was amusing to say the least. "Also pomegranates. So it's close to being a fruit salad, really." She offered cheekily, grinning at Mitchell.

He looked to Annie who was giving him a look and he tried to find a way to explain but it fell flat, especially when she decided to butt in too and help out. "You're right! It does smell like a fruit salad!" Annie spoke with a smirk. "Ok so I used her shower, I hadn't had a chance to yet and she offered." He explained, he had a feeling she'd tell them how they took a shower together and George would…well be George.

Adrienne was all too amused by the situation at hand, and made no attempt to pretend otherwise. She absently played with Mitchell's hair, ignoring the look he'd given her for butting in when he was trying to come up with an explanation that saved whatever man pride he had left after smelling like raspberries. When he'd mentioned the shower she nodded. "And it was incredibly fun." She stated, not at all bothered - when she was the one teasing, she was hardly flustered by anything.

Mitchell smirked at her when she spoke about how it had been fun in the shower. Annie just smirked laughing a bit as she shook her head lightly. "Oh wow that's what I thought happened!" She giggled as George started doing his high squeaky noise looking to him in surprise. Mitchell just smirked and kissed her neck. "Yeah, we're together George. She's alive, and well, and we love each other."

Adrienne turned her head to press a kiss to Mitchell's lips, smiling. Yes, she loved him. She probably wasn't going to proclaim it as much as he did, but she did indeed love him. She looked over at George, who was making the squeaking noise, and raised her brows. "Sweetheart, it's advisable that you, you know, breath." Yes, this was quite amusing. At least he was too worried to be pissed at her for disappearing. That, at least, was good.

"But…he-he…he's a vampire!" He spoke up finally looking to his childhood friend. "I don't…I don't want you hurt." Mitchell looked to him as he wrapped his arms around Adrienne's waist. "I won't hurt her. You should know that by now George." He spoke seriously as George took a deep breath. "Ok ok, I know you don't want to hurt her…I'll have to trust you…though that is a little hard…"

Adrienne raised her brows at George. She was not at all scared of Mitchell, as proven by the fact that she was currently on his lap. Honestly, if George kept this up she'd get more than a little annoyed at him, even if he was just being protective. Besides that, if Mitchell had been going to harm her, he would have done so already. She'd been vulnerable plenty of times in his presence. She was tempted to point out that George wasn't entirely normal, either - he had a 'time of the month', except instead of PMS he turned into a giant man-wolf.

Mitchell sighed and looked to George. "The people I was with before…I cared about them but I didn't love them….not like I love Adrienne." He spoke honestly holding the girl close to him as he nuzzled his face into her neck. Annie looked between George and Mitchell and smiled. "George…I haven't seen him in love like this before. I think he's right." She spoke before she put a hand on Mitchell's shoulder. "I'm happy for both of you, I know you'll be an amazing couple."

Adrienne almost blushed, which was stupid of her because she hadn't even been ashamed saying that she'd shared a shower with Mitchell. George still looked worried, but he also looked like he accepted the situation - after all, he couldn't continue to be callous when two of his friends were in love. She pressed a kiss to Mitchell's head, smiling just a bit.


	62. Chapter 31 Aly

"Well have to figure out some way to celebrate your birthday then. If we have to, we can make up a new birthday for you." She gave him a smile and kissed his cheek lovingly. She was glad that Annie was willing to watch Emma for them so they could spend some time alone. She giggled seeing Hal working on polishing the silverware. She had always repaid his help by buying him the old spoons no one ever wanted anymore and letting him clean them up. She gently skimmed her fingers through his hair as they locked eyes. "So, we have the place all to ourselves." She smiled moving a little bit closer to him as she gently trailed her hands down to his chest moving her fingers over the buttons of his shirt gently before she looked up at him once more.

Contrary to what one might have thought over his fifty-five years of shying away from most women, Hal was not naive. His thoughts began to spiral when Alycia moved her fingers to the buttons of his shirt, and he raised his brows. "It appears that you are correct." He told her, leaning down a little so that he could press a kiss to her lips. That close to her he could hear the steady pumping of her heart, he could hear her pulse. He could smell the blood rushing just under her skin, but he pushed that out of his mind and kissed her again.  
"You know that if you buy any more teaspoons, I'm going to have to clear out another drawer for them." That was true enough, and perhaps a bit of a way to distract himself from the slight temptation to sink his fangs into her.

She looked up into Hal's eyes as she played with the buttons of his shirt and smiled letting him lean down to kiss her as she kissed him back. "I love you Hal." She whispered against his lips as she gently took his shirt in her hands and pulled him towards the bedroom. She shivered feeling his lips against hers again before she giggled against his lips hearing what he said. "Well, then we'll just have to do that." She smiled and lead him up the stairs before she playfully pinned him against the wall at the top of the steps before she gave him another soft kiss on the lips.

Hal allowed the female to pull him up the stairs, and it would be a lie to say that a smirk didn't flit across his face when she playfully pressed him against the wall. He returned her kiss, nipping at her bottom lip. He was nearly lost in her for a moment, but realized that her pulse was louder, that he could hear her heart and smell her blood. "Is - I mean -" Oh, how he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and have her. But he was worried. He was worried that he'd snap and do something and no one would be around to stop him.

She smiled kissing him lovingly feeling him nipping at her bottom lip. She looked up at him before she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hal, I trust you. I know you won't hurt me. You can handle yourself around 6 little children and me, I think you can handle yourself around me." She gave him a soft smile as she pulled him in for another soft kiss. She trusted him and she wanted to be with him in every possible way. She knew his control was a constant struggle for him, but she also believed he was stronger than he thought he was.

Sure, Hal could handle himself around six children and Alycia, but he had also been going after the party guests and straightening things, picking things up. He'd had something to focus on besides the gorgeous, perfect woman in front of him. He was still worried. When she kissed him again, however, he found it difficult to concentrate on the blood flowing through her instead of the way that he wanted to be so much closer to her. Hal returned her kiss and ran his hands down to the backs of her thighs, scooping her up so that he could bring her to her room.

Alycia squeaked and giggled when she felt his hands running down to the back of her thighs before he picked her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her into the bedroom working the buttons open on his shirt one by one as they continued to kiss until she felt her back hit the bed. She smiled up at him and gently ran her fingers over his face before she pulled him in for another kiss. "I trust you Hal. I know you won't do anything to hurt me." She spoke softly against his lips and moved to place a kiss against his neck.

Hal kissed her again and again, but he kept his teeth in check. He could hear her pulse but it was drowned out by her breathing and his own, and so it wasn't as bad as he'd expected it to be. That sent a little thrill of confidence through the man, and when he set her down on the bed he hovered over her, lips falling to her neck. He didn't bite her, his eyes didn't turn black. "You are so entirely perfect, Alycia," the vampire said to her, the smallest of smirks forming on his face.

Feeling Hal moving to kiss her neck she felt a shiver run down her back before he spoke and she looked into his warm eyes as she stroked his cheek gently with her fingers. "As are you Hal." She spoke gently enjoying the feel of being so close to him, he was just perfect in her eyes; he was everything she could've wanted and more. "I want to be yours fully. I don't want to ever be with anyone else."

"That's good, because if I have anything at all to say about it, you never will." Hal stated, voice gentle as he looked down at her with a little smile on his face. His face just couldn't seem to decide which expression to use, and it ended up somewhere between a smile and smirk as he pressed kisses to her soft skin, fingers trailing down to the bottom of her shirt. He slowly slid the piece of fabric up, hands dancing around her abdomen, but he paused to make sure that she was completely comfortable.

She loved what he said and giggled looking into his warm eyes before feeling his kisses on her skin. She let her head fall back against the bed as he trailed his fingers down to the bottom of her shirt. She wanted to be with him in every way possible. Feeling his fingers on her skin she giggled a bit because she was ticklish. She looked to him and nodded. "I'm ok Hal. I want you." She whispered to him kissing her softly on the lips.

Hal continued their kiss for as long as possible, though he had to break the lip lock to rid her of her shirt, tossing it over the side of the bed. He thought about going to pick it up again, fold it, and put it on the nightstand or something, but that would take all too much time and he would much rather spend that time on his current occupation. His hands ran over her skin, pulling her near him. He kissed from her neck to her collarbone, growling almost playfully against her.

Feeling his lips against her skin; she felt her skin burning up a little bit before he pulled her shirt off of her body and threw her shirt off into the room. She giggled and worked his shirt off of his body as well. She squeaked feeling him pulling her close to him as he kissed from her neck to her collarbone. She licked her lips as she ran her fingers through his hair and messed it up a little bit as he playfully growled against her. "I love you Hal."

Maybe it was her words of love that kept him from thinking too hard about the pulse just underneath her skin, or the way that a single bite would have the ruby liquid sliding down his throat. Maybe it was his own love for her. Hal wasn't quite sure, but whatever it was, he was glad. "I love you, too, darling," the man said, throwing in a pet name as he smirked against her skin. His hands slid up her back and his kisses lowered to her chest as he unhooked her bra, tossing it aside in the same general direction in which he'd thrown her shirt.

She couldn't help but giggle at the pet name a bit. She liked it and could just _feel_ him smirking against her skin. She shivered feeling his hands sliding up her back as his kisses went lower to her chest. She blushed a bit when he undid her bra and tossed it off to the side of the room. She knew she was in for a crazy night but she wanted him, more than she'd ever wanted anyone else in her life. She ran her fingers over his bare chest feeling his skin move under her fingertips as he rubbed his body against hers.

Hal pressed kisses all over her soft skin, his dark eyes flickering up to hers. Another smirk tugged at his lips again, one that was nearly a smile. "You are so, so beautiful," he murmured as his hands explored. She was his world, his everything, and for just a few moments he was not worried about the bloodlust, about snapping. He could almost forget about her pulse if he concentrated on something else, and, yes, he had plenty to concentrate on.


End file.
